Chaos Theory
by Ruinous79
Summary: The Fifth Doctor discovers something terrible about his own future. The revelation brings him to a small town in Ohio where he meets a couple who claim to have already met him, or at least one of him. He also meets a troubled young woman with a startling gift. Can he fix a timeline gone wrong? And will he ever be the same? *Part 2 of the Parallel Lives series*
1. Chapter 1

" _ **Be humble for you are made of earth.**_

 _ **Be noble for you are made of stars"**_

 _ **-Serbian Proverb**_

* * *

 _Constellation of Kasterborous_

"Just hang on Peri..." the Doctor murmured as he piloted the TARDIS toward Karn. He glanced down once more at his injured companion, unconscious and ashen from blood loss. He had fashioned a pallet on the floor of the control room and tucked Peri in carefully once he had gotten the bleeding under control.

The Doctor clenched his jaw and drummed his fingers upon the console, glancing between the scanner and his patient anxiously. He tried not to see the blood splattered on his cricket jumper and striped trousers. If she died... he shook his head. It didn't bear thinking about. She was his responsibility. She was young, just eighteen, and was eager to travel, to see new things.

When he'd encountered her on Lanzarote just two short months ago, she had been on holiday with her step father. She'd only gotten tangled up with him when Turlough had saved her from drowning. And then of course she'd been accidentally carried along on an adventure involving Turlough's people, a volcanic planet and the Master. Despite her age she'd proven to be brave and resourceful. Which was why he had given in when she'd asked to join him for a while. Well, that and because Turlough had gone back to his home planet and the Doctor hadn't exactly relished the idea of kicking around the TARDIS with only himself for company.

The TARDIS was rematerializing and he knelt down to check on his young friend again. "Peri" he said gently, checking her pulse, adjusting her tourniquet. "You're going to be just fine. I've brought you to a group of women who will help you. They'll fix you right up and you'll be just as good as new." He stood and made his way to the door controls. He figured he'd better get help in moving her. Her condition was precarious and he didn't think toting her around carelessly seemed the wisest decision.

When the doors opened, he headed out onto the rocky surface of Karn. He was unsurprised to find a small group of the Sisterhood awaiting his arrival, standing in formation on the rust colored ground just outside the entrance to their cave. He stopped before them, silent. He waited.

The Reverend Mother, Maren came forward in her blood red robe, limping ever so slightly. "Time Lord." she accused. "You come here wanting our help?"

The Doctor looked skyward impatiently. "Yes Reverend Mother. I have a friend. A young woman who will die without the Sisterhood's intervention." He leveled imploring eyes at her. "Please."

Maren stared, unspeaking for a beat. Then she commanded, "Ohica, Cassandra, bring the girl." A roughly hewn stretcher appeared and was brought forward by two of the red-robed women. They entered the TARDIS and returned swiftly, carrying Peri out on the litter between them. The rest of the small group that had gathered followed them in to the gloomy mouth of the cave. Maren remained, unmoving.

The Doctor put his face in his hands, sighing deeply. Just seeing Peri in their capable hands brought immense relief. He knew they would never let her die.

"What is the girl's name Doctor?" Maren was looking at him, a smug, knowing look on her ancient face. She knew just who he was. It should have come as no surprise. The Sisterhood, it seemed, knew all.

The Doctor folded his hands in front of him. "Peri- er, Perpugilliam Brown."

"Human?" Maren wondered.

He nodded, wondering where this was going.

"What business had a human on Salutaris? What business did _you_ have there for that matter?" Maren demanded of him, an unnameable sentiment behind her eyes.

The Doctor rubbed his blood stained hand across his forehead, remembering. He himself was still perplexed about what had gone wrong. "I had taken her to the Malum star system to show her a meteor shower. I figured we'd stop in to visit the locals. I'd never been to Salutaris or even Partaisen for that matter." He shook his head. "I never anticipated hostility. The entirety of the Malum system is said to be peaceful. Quiet." He gestured helplessly.

Maren smiled then and took a few steps toward him. "Do you know Doctor, the people of the Malum solar system have a name for you?" He narrowed his eyes. She continued "They call you 'The Cause'."

The Doctor tried not to show that he was disconcerted. He cleared his throat, his voice a bit more hostile now. "What's that supposed to mean, hmm? What am I supposed to have caused?"

Maren laughed now. "Oh Doctor. You haven't caused anything. Yet. But you will. And every planet in the Malum solar system knows of the prophecy. The prophecy that one day, you will be the cause of the destruction of all life in Malum." She stared him down, enjoying his thunderstruck response.

"That's preposterous!" he sputtered. "A bunch of hysterical simpletons." He paced a bit. She watched him silently. He turned back toward her, now truly angry. "Are you telling me that my friend was attacked because of some ridiculous superstition?"

Maren cocked her head to one side. "Why no Doctor. I assure you, the prophecy _is_ quite correct. You will be the cause. You will be the reason. Your actions will change the entire universe forever. But no change will be so consequential as the death of every living being on the planets of Partaisen, Salutaris, Vogn and Zweiherzen."

The Doctor felt sick. She'd named every planet in Malum that contained life. He knew the powers of the Sisterhood well enough to trust Maren's certainty of the future. Her accusation cut through him. _Why? How?_ He stepped away aimlessly, his hand to his head. What role would he some day play in the genocide of an entire star system? He spun back around to face her.

"Why would you tell me this? Why the _hell_ would you inform me of something from my future, something so significant? Do you expect me to-to change my own timeline?"

Maren narrowed her eyes. "There is nothing you can do to stop it happening. There is no way you can change it. It is a fixed point. As are all the events that result from it."

The Doctor was incensed. "Then why tell me about it at all?" he demanded, his blue eyes ice cold.

"Perhaps you need to be reminded that even a _good man_ such as yourself, even someone with the best of intentions is capable of setting off a chain of events that leads to destruction. You try to fix things, solve the problems of the cosmos. Did you learn nothing at the Academy? The universe is not yours to save. You can try to make sense of the order, but you will never resolve the chaos." She turned and left him standing alone in the rocky wasteland, wind blowing in from two directions.

She paused at the entrance to the cave. She spoke, her back still to him. "You may leave Karn. Return when you are summoned. When Perpugillium is fully recovered." She disappeared into the cave. He had been dismissed.

The Doctor boarded the TARDIS, feeling numb. He wished to Rassilon that Maren hadn't told him about his future. Because he knew he would be haunted by the knowledge until he knew more. He headed to the console and immediately began to search the TARDIS database. The past, the future. They were all relative to the TARDIS. Time happened all at once for his ship. She knew secrets about all that was to come in his lives. Most she would never reveal.

But just now, before his computer search could even pull up results, he received a premonition. Nothing so mystical, a premonition. It was just remembering backwards after all.

 _He gingerly decreased the space-time throttle as the TARDIS spun gracefully through the cosmic dust of the Malum Star System. He heard the ominous BONG of the Cloister Bell sounding._

He shook his head, trying to clear the eerie time echo from his mind.

 _A deafening alarm joined the Cloister Bell as a warning light began to blink on the console and the scanner suddenly displayed the detection of a pair of neutron stars._

He leaned against the console, feeling dizzy now.

 _The Doctors eyes widened as he realized the stars were on a collision course._

 _A blinding flash. And then blackness._

He opened his eyes and realized he was shaking ever so slightly. He noticed some results had come up on the computer monitor. He took a deep breath and pulled his reading glasses from his pocket to take a look.

A neutron star collision. The Malum Star System. 2012. He put his glasses away slowly, now puzzled. He entered space-time coordinates into the input keypad. Pulled the dematerialization lever. What control did _he_ have over the stars? he wondered as the familiar wheezing, groaning sound of the TARDIS filled the control room.

* * *

 _Kirkmore Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation Center, October 2017_

She sat by herself. She usually did. It was cool and gray outside as she sat on a bench out on the lawn, smoking and scribbling into a journal.

 _Four more hours,_ she told herself. _Four more hours and no more Dr. Sladen. Four more hours and no more of those assholes in group._

Sienna Woods took one last drag off her cigarette then poked it into the hole of a nearby cigarette butt receptacle.

She wasn't ready to admit to herself that she was actually quite scared of leaving rehab. She didn't want to go back to using, she knew that much. She knew she was sick of hurting her mom and dad. She knew she was tired of feeling dope sick when she ran out of money. She knew she wanted to give college another try. What she didn't know was if she was strong enough to stay clean.

She closed her journal, wiped ink from the pad of her left hand. She was definitely writing a lot if nothing else. She seriously doubted she'd ever allow anyone to read the venom and feelings of hopelessness she'd recorded in her book over the last 28 days. But it had helped keep her mind together.

She headed back inside, passing through the day room. The day room was a big open space shared by all the facility's residents. There was a communal television surrounded by plenty of seating, board games and even a small library off in the corner. An array of addicts inhabited the space there.

There was Kelly, a coke head watching Teen Moms on MTV alongside two drunks named Anna and Violet. Silas, a fellow opiate addict was playing solitaire at one of the tables. Silas was ok. At 20, he was three years younger than Sienna but he was definitely an old soul- albeit an old soul who dressed like a skater boy. He was currently wearing jeans, a Theories of Atlantis t shirt and a brown stocking cap. He looked up and gave her his cute half smile. She nodded and smiled in reply.

There was Ethan the douchebag who had avoided 90 days in county for his third DUI thanks to his rich daddy. He was playing chess with one of the nurses who obviously had a crush. There were two meth heads named Karen and Joel who didn't really interact with anyone but each other. They were sitting drinking coffee at a table, deep in conversation. Sienna suspected they had hooked up while in here. She was the last person on the planet to speak of propriety but even she knew that was a bad fucking idea.

She looked them all over, wondering if she'd have cause to see any of them again out in the real world. She headed down the hall to the small room she'd called home for the past month. Her parents had made sure she'd gotten a private room. Nice in some aspects, not so nice in terms of the jealousy of some of her peers.

She was mostly packed. The only things she had left to do were to visit with Dr. Sladen one last time and to process her discharge papers. Her dad would be arriving at 2:00pm to pick her up. She sat on her bed, watching the clock on her bedside table. She chewed on her bottom lip. _Was she ready?_

 _Kirkmore Restwell Motel, Later that evening_

The television was on, tuned to a WWE wrestling match.

The announcer's overblown commentary floated through the smoky room.

" _Oh! And there's the move! AJ Styles just did the Styles Clash on Dean Ambrose!"_

Sienna sat propped against the headboard in just her underwear and a white cotton cami, her brown eyes vacant. Her ex boyfriend Chris was passed out on the bed naked, his head across her lap.

The audience on the television cheered like crazy and the end of match bell dinged.

Sienna released the belt tying off her arm, dropped the needle onto the bedspread. Her head nodded, her eyes half closed.

" _And it's over!"_


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor soon discovered that the TARDIS refused to go anywhere near the Malum System around the time of the stellar collision. The closest he was able to get was five years after the fact.

He sighed and made an adjustment to the dampers, switched to manual nav. He was annoyed and thoroughly unsettled. He shouldn't have been surprised at his ship's reluctance to cross his own timestream in such a potentially impactful way. That didn't mean he had to be pleased by it.

"Marvelous. I suppose this means I'm just going to have to work backwards." He looked at the timezone readout grimly. "2017." He shook his head and piloted the TARDIS into the Malum system in search of answers. Even if he couldn't change things, he wanted to know, he needed to know the circumstances surrounding the event.

As the TARDIS neared the planet Partaisen, the Doctor finally saw for himself on the scanner just what had befallen this corner of the galaxy. A behemoth of a black hole.

He stared in silence for a moment, taking it in. Perhaps nobody could appreciate the power or complexity of a black hole the way a Time Lord could.

"So. The explosion from a neutron star collision annihilated all forms of life." he spoke softly to himself, trying to understand. "A black hole was formed. And then... What? How could I possibly be responsible?" He scratched the back of his neck, squinting at the scanner.

He pulled up current information on the Malum star system. Just five years after the catastrophe, it was doubtful that any of the planets were habitable. The resulting explosion would have destroyed the atmosphere of every planet in its wake. He tapped a few keys on the TARDIS database. _There must be something. Someone left to tell the tale_. The computer beeped. And there it was. A colony.

"Interesting." He began setting a course for Aphelion Theta, a base station on the planet Vogn. The TARDIS seemed to be resisting his efforts to dematerialize so he opted for a manual landing. The engines whined, as if she hoped to convince him otherwise.

"Yes Old Girl, I know my arrival isn't likely to be met with a welcome party. But I have to know..."

 _Aphelion Theta Base, October 2017_

The TARDIS had materialized in a dark cargo hold area. All the better, the Doctor thought. He headed back to the wardrobe to find a change of clothes to appear less conspicuous.

From what he'd read about the base, Aphelion Theta was used for research, resource mining and as a tourist attraction. While the miners wore a standard space suit when working outside the base, visitors didn't require any special protective equipment. He selected a casual blue suit. He hoped to blend in as much as possible.

He shined the light around, noting that the room looked like it hadn't been used for some time. He hoped that meant the TARDIS would remain undiscovered while he investigated.

He activated the airlock door and stepped into a dimly lit corridor. From the schematics he'd pulled up online, he suspected he was directly below the tourism facility. It wasn't long before he located a service elevator which he rode up one level.

The sliding doors opened to pandemonium. The Doctor stepped off and blinked. It was like the visitor's center of an Earth zoo on a Saturday. Brightly dressed families representing a multitude of species filled the large atrium. Among them he spotted some Shambonie, Tivolians, Arcturans and even a few Ood.

The whole place had the atmosphere of an amusement park. Off to his right there appeared to be some type of cinema showing a film. There was an artifact museum straight ahead and a gift shop to the left. All around vendors sold carnival fare.

"Extraordinary." the Doctor breathed. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting but he certainly hadn't been expecting this. Though many of the species of tourists were bipedal, humans had not made it into the outer reaches of space in the 21st century. Surprising really since it was usually humans willing to charge (and pay) admission for nearly anything as long as there were bright lights and food involved.

The Doctor headed toward the cinema. The film showing there appeared to be the story of what had happened to the Malum star system. He handed the Shansheeth at the booking office his galactic credit stick. The large avian creature barely glanced in his direction as it handed over his ticket. The Doctor supposed the galactic undertaker business must not be too good these days.

The Doctor chose a seat and waited as the auditorium filled. After a time, the lights went down and the film began on the large screen in front of them.

Footage of space, somber music then a pleasant female voice-over.

" _The Malum Star System. It was once a hub of trade and travel. Of exploration and discovery. Of life and love and hope."_

Photographs of landscapes, building construction, two beings in love by the shore of a purple lake, children playing, and people dancing around a bonfire.

" _The planets Salutaris, Vogn, Zweiherzen and Partaisen were neighboring planets, each inhabited by millions of peaceful people"_

A graphical recreation of a neutron star collision began. The Doctor leaned forward, anxiously awaiting the punchline.

" _The planets were inhabited at least, until the day two stars met."_

A simulation of a blinding gamma ray flash filled the screen and a deafening explosion sound effect filled the room. Every being in the audience jumped in their seat, then laughed nervously.

" _That day was the last day for billions of innocent adults and children. And it was also the last day of the Time Lord known as the Doctor."_

The Doctor sat up straight in his seat, his hearts hammering away in his chest. He glanced around anxiously, feeling like an intruder.

Video footage of Gallifrey flashed on the screen. Then a photo of his original incarnation, old and austere.

" _The Doctor was a Time Lord well known to meddle in both the past and the future. His number one objective was said to be adventure and of those, he apparently had many. And while he usually strove to act heroically when the situation demanded it, he often left chaos in his wake."_

A picture of his TARDIS was now on the screen.

The Doctor felt a chill and hunched lower in his seat. That word again. Chaos. He glanced around surreptitiously. He no longer felt like an intruder. He felt like a criminal. _What do I become?_ he asked himself, now thoroughly troubled.

" _On that last day, the Doctor was in the Malum system in his TARDIS recklessly experimenting with some fearsome Time Lord technology. Using a device known as a Stellar Manipulator, the Doctor threw two neutron stars at each other. Perhaps he didn't anticipate the result."_

A computer animated recreation of the blast taking out the TARDIS and all life on the four planets.

" _All that remained after that fateful error in judgment were four dead planets and an enormous black hole, forever pulling in all that dared cross into its event horizon."_

The Doctor shakily got to his feet. He was quite dizzy and disoriented, unable to accept the information he'd just learned. The voice-over continued as he walked unsteadily out of the auditorium.

" _The entirety of the Malum System had gone silent. Neighboring solar systems wouldn't learn until days later just what had happened here. The captain of a cargo ship came forward with footage from his craft's radar cam showing..."_

The Doctor stepped from the dark room back into the enthusiastic commotion of the tourist center. He collapsed onto the first bench he found.

So now he knew. He knew exactly how he was meant to die. And that he would take billions of innocent lives with him.

* * *

 _Kirkmore Restwell Motel, 4:14 am_

Sienna woke up in the dark motel room with a bitch of a headache. She was completely disoriented at first, thinking she was back in her room in rehab. That was, until she heard Chris snore.

"Oh my fucking god." she gasped, shrinking away from his touch. He was completely passed out and didn't stir. This fucking animal who had put her through hell for the past year. Who had beat the shit out of her and fucked two of her best friends. And she had allowed him to touch her again? And she knew from the dull pain in her arm and the familiar creeping sickness that wasn't all she'd done last night.

She laid her face into her hands. "I am _such_ a worthless piece of _shit_." Unfucking real. One day? Couldn't go one goddamn day?

Her parents. _Oh god_. She needed to check her phone.

Sienna found her feet quite unsteadily. She located her phone along with her purse strewn carelessly across the floor. There were 8 unread messages. She read through them, tearing up as each one got more frantic than the last.

The final text simply read, _"I hope you're OK."_

Sienna just shook her head, crying outright now. "Ok?" she mumbled sitting on the floor to put on her shoes. "I'm about as far from OK as humanly possible." She was so angry at herself. So disappointed and sad and just sick of everything.

She grabbed her hoody off the floor, shouldered her purse and stumbled out into the lot. It was still dark- no longer night but not quite morning. She wrenched open the door of her Chevy Cruze and climbed in, uncertain if she was even fit to drive at the moment. She no longer felt high, but she was so upset she was shaking.

She took a couple deep breaths and rolled down the window to let the cool air hit her face. After a moment she felt composed enough to get going. Chris would be furious that she'd left like this. Well, fuck him anyway.

When she hit the main highway through Kirkmore she stopped for the red light. She was in the left turn lane, headed West to her parents home. But something kept drawing her attention East. A right turn would take her in to Sugar Creek.

Sienna looked from East to West, considering. Her turn signal clicked rhythmically. She chewed on her lower lip. She hadn't been back to Sugar Creek since she'd gotten out of rehab. She sighed.

She knew she shouldn't go, not in the state of mind she was in. This trip never ended well. And yet she found herself making a highly illegal right turn from the left turn lane as soon as the light turned green.

She drove to Sugar Creek slightly dazed, trying her best not to think about the fact that she'd flushed 32 days of sobriety down the toilet. That she'd actually let Chris talk her into anything at all.

She automatically turned left when she hit Broadway. As soon as she saw the bank on the corner of 3rd street, her heart began to beat double time just as it always did. She made a right and saw the brick apartment building and its adjacent lot off to the right.

She pulled into the lot like she always did. She parked slightly hidden, beside the dumpster like she always did. She closed her eyes, her heart hammering in her chest.

 _What am I fucking doing?_ she asked herself, not for the first time. She had been coming here for the past six months, ever since she'd found out for sure. She always came late at night so there was no change of running into _her._

But Sienna knew which window was _hers_ and which car in the lot belonged to _her._ She looked for the car now. A red Toyota Camry. She spotted it and for the very first time in six months, Sienna opened the door and got out of her car. She hugged herself to keep warm and strode across the lot with no idea what she was doing. She approached the car as if it might explode at any minute.

The streetlights kept the parking lot fairly well lit so she could see the interior quite easily. She saw pink plush dice hanging from the rearview mirror. _Such a cliché,_ she thought. An Etta James CD case sat in the passenger seat. _Interesting choice,_ she thought. Then she glanced in the backseat. She gasped and had to run to the bushes to throw up. She stayed there, bent at the waist for a moment trying to take a normal breath.

She'd never considered it. It had never occurred to her. She scoffed at herself. _Fucking idiot. Of course the woman had moved on with her life once she'd disposed of her mistake._

But logic didn't matter. Being an adult didn't matter. She began to sob, feeling broken inside and out. She realized that a car was pulling in and she just broke for the woods behind the building. She ran into the darkness, tripping and bumping into trees clumsily. She fell once and skinned her hand.

She got back up though and continued on, no longer caring where she ended up. She was mostly mad at herself for even caring. Caring that she'd seen a child's car seat in the backseat of the Camry. The Camry that belonged to her biological mother Dayle Moss.


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor returned to the TARDIS, unable to listen to anymore about the devastation he had allegedly wrought. He leaned against the console with his eyes closed. He knew the best thing he could do was continue on as if he knew nothing. It was a fixed point after all. There wasn't a thing he could do to stop it happening.

It seemed that possessing the foreknowledge wouldn't prevent the incident or else Maren would never have told him. Perhaps he was meant to forget about it upon his next regeneration. The process had been known to wipe out crucial pieces here and there. And if it all took place much later in his regeneration cycles, well, he might not remember much from this time at all.

And yet. Something niggled at his mind. He thought back to the film. A stellar manipulator? Why on Gallifrey would he have cause to even touch one of those things? What experiment could he possibly have been doing so recklessly? Not to mention, the same result could have been achieved from a remote location. There was no need to have placed himself directly in the blast.

Even the youngest, most ignorant of Time Lords knew a stellar manipulator was nothing to toy around with. He himself knew of only two: the Tear of Isha and the Hand of Omega. Both were kept in the Omega Arsenal which was locked up tightly in the Time Vaults on Gallifrey. The Lord President himself could not enter the Omega Arsenal without unanimous approval from the high council so it seemed unlikely that either device was the stellar manipulator in question. He did have one idea though. After a moment's hesitation, he decided he had to know more and resolutely set the coordinates for his chosen destination.

 _The Shadow Proclamation, Intergalactic Armory_

The Shadow Architect led him down a corridor to one of the most secure doors he'd seen anywhere, in all of space and time. She put her face to a sensor and it scanned her retina. The door slid open revealing a staircase leading down. He then followed her into a room behind a sturdy cage which swung outward revealing a rather ordinary looking room with a desk and a service window.

She stared at him silently a moment, her red eyes unblinking. "Doctor I trust that whatever information gathering you are doing is for the greater good. Don't make me wrong to trust you."

The Doctor met her gaze with sincere blue eyes. "Cross both my hearts." he told her earnestly. She nodded her acceptance.

A Sontaran suddenly popped up from behind the desk. He blinked at the Doctor, looking rather bored.

The Shadow Architect pulled the diminutive creature aside and gave him her instructions. He nodded and with that, she left the two beings alone.

The Sontaran returned to his post, cleared his throat. "My name is Rox. How may I help you sir?"

The Doctor approached the clerk warily. He had yet to have a single positive encounter with a Sontaran even though this fellow seemed cordial enough.

"I've come to find out about a device called a stellar manipulator." The Doctor explained. "It is almost certainly on the Shadow Proclamation's list of forbidden weaponry. One was apparently used to cause a neutron star collision in the Malum star system roughly five years ago. Would you be able to tell me anything about it?"

Rox typed some information into his computer. He then produced a small pair of reading glasses and looked down through them at his computer monitor. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. Just when he thought nothing else could surprise him today.

The clerk tapped a few more keys, then studied the results, eyes narrowing.

"Ahh yes!" the Sontaran exclaimed suddenly. "Well there is one such circumstance. It seems such a device was reported missing from a Gallifreyan military outpost back... well." Rox scratched his head, seemingly perplexed. "Well this happened back during the Time War..."

The Doctor quickly put his fingers in his ears. "Tut tut tut..." he shushed him. "As little as possible about that thank you. A bit outside my timestream just now."

The Sontaran nodded his understanding. The Doctor uncovered his ears and gestured for him to proceed.

"The device reported stolen was something called a Type 4211 Star Shifter. I have the geolocation serial number here if it'd be of any help."

The Doctor very much doubted it since the device was said to have been destroyed in the explosion but he accepted the slip of paper he was handed and was on his way.

Back in the TARDIS he laid the paper out on the console in front of him. A Type 4211 Star Shifter, geolocation serial number 48800723xx. He shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to check. If nothing else the computer could confirm its last logged geolocation.

"Might not even work at all." he mused. For the sake of doing something, he entered the code into the TARDIS spatial locator system, turned to walk away. The computer beeped. His eyes widened and he turned back.

The computer had found the device. He felt his hearts skip a beat when he saw it couldn't possibly have been used and destroyed in the Malum star system disaster. Because the spatial locator placed the device in Sugar Creek, Ohio, in America on Earth. Now.

"Right. So I suppose we check in on Sugar Creek then." He pressed a button and pulled the dematerialization lever.

He found himself somewhat relieved by this turn of events. The fact that this stellar manipulator was on earth years after the disaster certainly didn't exonerate him. But it did mean that someone had gotten the facts wrong.

The TARDIS rematerialized and he grabbed his hat and hopped out. He found himself on a dark country road surrounded by woods. "Of course I'm sure what I'm looking for will be in the deepest, darkest part of the woods." he grumbled and popped back in for a torch. He stepped back out and aimed the beam all around him, trying to get his bearings.

"Quite creepy out here really." he muttered. Inexplicably, a chill overtook him. He shivered. It was as if someone had walked over his grave.

Just then he heard rapid movement in the woods behind him. He spun around, ready for fight or flight. Someone burst out of the trees suddenly.

It was... a girl? And it appeared as though she were crying. He shined the light on her and she seemed to freeze, confused.

He squinted, trying to get a better look. "Are you alright there?" He walked toward her curiously.

* * *

Sienna came to a clearing and had no sooner stepped out of the treeline when a light was shone directly on her.

 _The police? Out here?_ was the first thought that sprang to mind. She froze, unsure of what to do.

"Are you alright there?" came a voice. With a _British_ accent? What the hell? The guy was headed right for her.

"Wh-wh-who's there?" she stammered, shivering from a combination of cold and anxiety.

"No need to be frightened. I won't harm you." he assured her in a congenial tone. Like it was just perfectly natural that they'd happened to run into each other before the sun was up in the middle of fucking nowhere.

He had reached her now. A tallish blonde man, maybe ten years older than her, with a slightly out of date haircut. He was actually pretty cute though he wore a tremendously stupid looking outfit. _The hat's cool at least_ , she thought. He was peering at her curiously.

She cleared her throat, trying to look brave. "I'm not frightened." She swiped at her face in a futile attempt to hide the fact that she'd been crying for the past hour.

"What on earth are you doing out here by yourself in the dark?" he wondered. "It could be terribly dangerous." He actually sounded very concerned. He actually sounded a bit like her dad. She frowned.

"Don't worry about what I'm doing. Maybe you should stick to your own business." She turned to head back the way she'd come, but turned back, her curiosity getting the best of her. "What the fuck are you doing out here by _your_ self in the dark?" She looked around and saw no car, just what appeared to be a blue porta potty. Odd that it would be in the middle of the road like that though.

The man now looked quite exasperated. "Kindly refrain from that sort of language. You're a young lady." he crossed his arms. "I'm here looking for... something." He seemed unable to elaborate.

Sienna laughed. "Oh well that just explains everything, now doesn't it?" There was something about him. Like she should know him or something. And the strangest part of all, Sienna felt as if she could trust him. And there weren't many that she trusted in this world. She'd been lied to her whole life after all. She thought once more of the car seat in the Camry and she felt her stomach drop.

"You're upset." He studied her face with compassionate looking eyes. "Has something happened to you?" The oddest thing, she very nearly told him everything. Then she came back to her senses. She sighed.

"Look, whoever the hell you are. I'm going back to my car." she was already backing away from him toward the woods. "I had a little freak-out for a moment. It's been one hell of a shitty night but, I'm fine." She shrugged, then turned and headed back into the woods, hoping to hell she was going in the right direction.

She noticed pretty quickly that she was being followed. The flashlight in the pitch black woods was sort of a dead giveaway. She glanced back and saw that the man in the goofy outfit and hat was most definitely following her, albeit at a respectful distance. _Dude. Really?_

She cleared her throat and continued, glancing back occasionally. He stayed several paces back, just strolling along casually, his flashlight trained forward. Truth be told, she was grateful for the light. And... maybe even the company.

Sienna came out of the woods near the spot she'd entered them earlier behind the apartment building. The sun was coming up. She started toward the parking lot, stopped and turned. The man stood watching, his arms crossed, the flashlight now turned off as the morning grew brighter.

"Who are you?" she wanted to know.

He grinned. "I'm the Doctor. And you?"

She smiled despite herself. "Sienna. Sienna Woods."

"Pleased to meet you Sienna Woods. Cheer up, won't you? The night has ended. It's a brand new day." And with that, he turned to head back the way he'd came.

" _Weirdo."_ she whispered, shaking her head but somehow smiling just the same. She headed to her car, the only thought in her mind now was calling her mom to say she was OK. She took a deep breath. It had been a shitty night but like the Doctor dude had said, it was a brand new day.

She was digging in her pocket for her car keys and didn't notice anyone else in the parking lot. She suddenly heard a friendly voice say "Good morning."

Sienna looked up into the eyes of the woman who'd given birth to her. Her heart nearly stopped. Dayle clearly had only been saying 'hi' to be polite to the only other person in the lot this early. She was carrying a small child, a little boy out to her car. Now she stood frozen, staring. Dayle's blue gray eyes stared into Sienna's brown eyes and Sienna knew that she knew.

Sienna saw such a strange mixture of sadness and joy on the blonde woman's face.

After a moment of stunned silence, Dayle asked simply, "It's you. Isn't it?"

Sienna was taken aback. How had she recognized her? She nodded dumbly, now backing toward her car. She was not in any shape to deal with _this_ right now.

"Wait. At least... what's your name?" Dayle asked, shifting the baby to her other hip.

Sienna was having a hard time opening the car. She was using a spare set so she didn't have the keyless entry remote. She just couldn't seem to stop her hand shaking long enough to fit the key in the damn lock. Her breathing was becoming erratic. Of all the times to remember to lock her fucking doors. Her heart was hammering in her ears. Tears stung her eyes. Escape was the only thing she could think of. She was definitely having a difficult time taking a regular breath.

Dayle took a step back, seemingly to give Sienna space, one hand gesturing in a calming fashion. "Ok. It's alright. Take a breath."

The edges of Sienna's vision suddenly became very fuzzy and she felt lightheaded. She fell against her car and slid to the ground, fainting dead away.


	4. Chapter 4

Once the Doctor had seen the troubled young woman off to daylight and safety, he turned, intending to head back to where the TARDIS had brought him. _Sienna_ , he thought, stepping back into the trees. He wondered what had happened to send her off into the woods crying like that. He stopped, brow furrowed. Perhaps he should make sure she made it to her vehicle safely.

He sighed, turned back and from the treeline, peered over at the car park he'd seen. Sienna had made it to her black car and appeared to be attempting to unlock the door. He saw she was no longer alone on the lot in dawn's first light. An attractive blonde woman holding a small child was standing nearby. He narrowed his eyes, sensing something wasn't quite right. He headed up the incline toward the lot.

The Doctor had no sooner set foot onto the asphalt when he saw Sienna fall against her vehicle and hit the ground. He broke into a run and when he reached her, knelt to check that she was breathing OK.

The woman in the lot seemed at a loss for what to do. She clearly wanted to help but was holding the child and there was nowhere to put him down. "I'm a nurse!" she blurted.

"Well, I'm a doctor." he assured her gently. "And it appears that Sienna has simply fainted from stress."

"Sienna." The blonde woman said, almost sadly. "She was hyperventilating."

"Is there some place we can take her to lie down?" he wondered, already picking up the girl's lifeless form.

"W-w-well. I guess. You could... bring her up to my apartment?" The nurse seemed uncertain.

The Doctor looked at her inquisitively. "Do you not know this girl?"

She took a calming breath. Closed her eyes. When she opened them, he saw tears. "I'm her biological mother. This is the first time we've ever met."

The Doctor was speechless at this news. No wonder the girl had been so emotional.

The blonde woman seemed to make up her mind. "Follow me. We'll take her up to my place." He followed her through the lobby and into a small elevator. She hit the button for the sixth floor and they rode in silence until the doors opened.

Just as they were stepping off, she murmured, "My name is Dayle by the way. Dayle Moss."

"Pleased to meet you Dayle Moss." He grunted a bit under the girl's weight. She wasn't a large girl by any means but, he'd been carrying her for some time. "You can call me the Doctor."

Dayle was slightly ahead of him in the hallway but she froze at his words, turned and looked at him like she'd seen a ghost. "What'd you say?"

He indicated Sienna in his arms. "She's growing a bit heavy. Are we nearly there?"

Dayle nodded, still looking unsettled. "This way." They headed for an apartment door.

They stepped inside Dayle's flat and she motioned for him to lay Sienna on the sofa. She set the child on the floor and he toddled over to investigate.

After the Doctor had laid the unconscious young woman down, he lifted one of her lids and examined her pupil. _Hmm._

"So... how exactly do you know Sienna?" Dayle asked him somewhat suspiciously.

The Doctor had a bad feeling. His face was grim as he pushed the sleeves of the girl's hooded sweatshirt up and out of the way. He saw old needle marks on both arms and what looked like a couple new ones on the inside of her left arm. He looked up at Dayle.

"We've only just met in the woods." Before she could respond to that odd fact, he asked her seriously: "Did you know about this?" he indicated her arms.

Dayle knelt beside him and examined her daughter's arms. She gasped and put her hands to her mouth. "Do you think she's...?"

"An intravenous drug user? Yes. And it appears that she has been for some time." _How awful,_ he thought to himself, _for Dayle to find out this way_.

"Oh my god. I can't fucking believe this." Dayle was beyond upset so he didn't feel the need to mention her swearing. She glanced at the little boy who had come over to the sofa and was tugging at Sienna's hair playfully. "I guess I'd better call Jesse and have him come get Gabe. I was on my way to drop him at the daycare. Maybe I should call into work."

The Doctor cleared his throat, striving to be tactful. "Should we maybe contact Sienna's adopted parents as well? Let them know she's here."

Dayle seemed to remember herself. "Oh. Of course. I mean, I guess they can handle things from here. It's not my place to..." she trailed off, shook her head. "I still need to call Jesse." She got up and took her phone into the other room and closed the door.

Sienna's eyelids began to flutter. She groaned, squinting up at him. "Doctor?" she asked, puzzled.

He smiled at her. "Yes. Glad to see you're back with us. You fainted in the parking lot. We brought you upstairs."

At that news she sat straight up. She looked panic stricken. "Shhh." the Doctor soothed. "Calm down. You're alright. She's on the phone to her husband I believe, to come pick up young Gabe here." He gestured toward the tiny boy who looked up at her with a toothy grin.

The Doctor saw the range of emotions that crossed her face. Sadness followed by anger, then suddenly a small smile broke through. "Hey Gabe." she said softly. It hadn't taken him long to win her over. He was quite a cute little fellow.

The Doctor sat beside her on the sofa, cleared his throat. Unsure what to say.

* * *

Sienna felt like she was in some weird alternate universe. Sitting in her biological mother's living room beside some odd British guy she's just met in the woods. She looked down and noticed the sleeves of her hoody had been pushed up. _Fuck._ She pulled them back down quickly, glancing at the Doctor. The look on his face told her he already knew.

She glanced down at her hands as if they were terribly interesting. "Just got out of rehab yesterday." she muttered.

The Doctor said nothing for a moment. Then, "It would seem it didn't work very well."

Sienna couldn't help but crack up at this. "No." she agreed when she stopped laughing. "It certainly didn't."

Just then, there was a crash and Gabe began to scream.

They both jumped up, startled and looked toward the source of the clamor. The toddler had pulled a small plant shelf onto himself.

"Oh Jesus!" Dayle shouted from her bedroom. "What's happened?"

Sienna reached him first, the Doctor right behind her. She lifted the shelf away from the baby and picked him up automatically. There was blood running down his chin. His lip had split open and the little dude was screaming his head off.

Without even thinking, she gently touched his small, bloody bottom lip with two fingers and closed her eyes. She felt a familiar current hum through her body. She breathed in the pain and exhaled it away. When she opened her eyes, the cut was gone.

Sienna quickly wiped the remaining blood away with the sleeve of her hoody. By then, Dayle had reached them. She took the boy from Sienna's arms and held him close, comforting him.

Sienna looked over at the Doctor then and saw the look he was giving her. He had seen everything, all of it. He had watched her heal Gabe. _Nice going genius._

"Ohhh, it's OK Mister." Dayle soothed, bouncing the baby, who was finally calming down. She looked up at the Doctor and Sienna. "It must have just scared him. He doesn't seem to have a scratch on him."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and looked again at Sienna. Crossed his arms. Strange. He didn't seem freaked out by what he'd seen. In fact, she could swear she'd heard him murmur "Interesting." under his breath. Was this dude from another planet?

Finally she cleared her throat and said, "Well, I really need to be getting home. My mom is probably worried about me." She began backing toward the apartment door, ready to make her escape.

Dayle pressed her lips together, still bouncing Gabe a little. "Sienna." she began. "Can you wait for just a bit? You were just unconscious. And... you probably shouldn't be driving." She gave Sienna a meaningful look.

Oh for fuck's sake. She'd seen the track marks _too?_

Now she was getting a little pissed off at this woman's nerve. Dayle was going to pass judgment on _her?_ Make suggestions on how she should go about her day? Oh hell no.

Sienna's eyes grew hard. "I'm just fine, thank you. It was nice meeting you uhh... Doctor. You too Gabe. I'm leaving." She turned and walked out the door.

The Doctor followed her into the hallway.

She turned to face him. "Hey. Blondie. I'm not sure who died and made you my guardian angel but I'm not fuckin feelin it. So, could you _maybe_ stop following me everywhere?" She headed down the hallway toward an exit sign that she took to be the staircase.

Yeah, he wasn't giving up that easy. "Sienna, where did you learn to do that?" he wondered, walking alongside her.

She spotted an elevator. She really wasn't feeling up to a bunch of stairs. She pressed the call button, crossed her arms and tried to ignore him.

He sighed. "Dayle is quite worried about you. Can't you at least talk to her?"

"Hey, complete and utter _stranger._ Why do you even give a shit?" The elevator had arrived. She stepped on.

He stuck his foot in the door to keep it from closing. "We all have our vices. Mine seems to be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong." There was humor in his eyes. "Please. Let me give you my number. If you ever find you need help. You can call me."

This was ridiculous. How the hell could he help her? And why would he even want to? She'd had enough of this nonsense. "Look-"

"Sienna, I suspect that you don't have many friends. At least not the good kind. And that gift you have... the touch healing. I understand more about that than you could realize. You could talk to me." His blue eyes bore into her.

She didn't know why she handed her phone to him, this weird English guy with the terrible fashion sense. But she did. He added his number to her contacts, handed it back and gave a nod.

"Good bye Sienna. Get some rest. And don't give up on yourself just yet." With that, he pulled his foot out of the elevator door and it closed.

She exhaled and tried to regain her composure. She stared at her phone for a moment, then sent a text to her mom. _I'm sorry for worrying you. Coming home now._


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor decided to go back and check on Dayle before departing. At least to say good bye. He went back to her apartment to find the door open as he'd left it. He knocked lightly before entering. He found her sitting on the sofa crying quietly into her hands. Gabe was snuggled in a blanket beside her with a training cup, looking ready for a nap.

The Doctor paused just inside the doorway. He cleared his throat to alert her of his presence. She looked up, surprised to see him back. She wiped her face and tried to regain her composure. "Did she leave?" she wanted to know.

He nodded and leaned against the door. "She was heading to her adoptive parents' house." He paused. "She told me she'd just gotten out of a rehabilitation facility yesterday. It is not uncommon for addicts to relapse soon after returning home."

She nodded, looking world-weary. "I feel like it's my fault." she told him simply.

He studied her. "Because you placed her up for adoption?"

Dayle nodded. "I was sixteen. I was doing what I thought was best for her. And me of course." She sighed. "Here I am all these years later with an adopted baby myself. I could never have children of my own after having Sienna." She seemed to remember that she didn't know him all that well. "I'm telling you my life story here. Could you explain what you meant by meeting her in the woods just now?" The suspicious expression was back.

He grinned. "Probably not in a way that would make me sound all too normal."

Her eyes narrowed. "I swear you remind me of someone. An old friend of mine. He called himself the Doctor too. But he didn't look anything like you."

The Doctor was stunned by her words. _Surely it can't be a coincidence._ "This friend of yours... where is he from?" He had stepped into the middle of the room.

She chuckled at this. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Now the Doctor got goosebumps all over. _Could it be?_ "Try me. I think you'll find there's not much that can surprise me."

She leveled a look at him, a small smile on her face. "He's from a planet called Gallifrey. He travels in time and space in a blue police box." She crossed her arms, anticipating his reaction.

"And he's a Time Lord." he added quietly.

Dayle sat up straight, her eyes huge. "You _know_ about him?"

He grinned. "Dayle, did your friend ever tell you about regeneration?"

Just then, the door burst open and a tall man of Hispanic descent entered the apartment.

"Where is she!?" he asked Dayle, looking all around.

"She's gone." she answered flatly. "She woke up and seemed just fine and went home." She looked at the Doctor. "This is my husband Jesse... though you still haven't told me your actual name."

The Doctor turned and offered his hand. "Pleased to meet you Jesse. I'm the Doctor."

Jesse seemed to freeze. His eyes went to Dayle who shrugged, looking almost amused.

"He knows about Time Lords." she informed Jesse. "And he was just about to explain something called 'regeneration' to me."

At this Jesse's eyes got huge. "Regeneration?" He squinted at the Doctor, taking in his face and his choice of clothing. He looked at Dayle, pointing to the blonde man standing in their living room. "Don't you remember what the Doctor said? When Time Lords die, they can regenerate into a whole other person. Different looks, different personality but the same character, the same consciousness." He stepped closer and looked directly in the Doctor's eyes. "Is it really you?"

Dayle was standing now, cradling a sleeping Gabe in her arms. "What the hell are you talking about? Are you saying the Doctor died and became this dude?" She looked mystified, but not necessarily unbelieving.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Since I don't remember either of you lovely people and have never been to this part of Earth before now, I would say I'm probably a much earlier incarnation of the Doctor you know."

Dayle stepped closer, peering up at him. "What were you doing in those woods?" she demanded.

"It's where the TARDIS brought me. I'm looking for something called a Stellar Manipulator. A bit of Time Lord technology. When I searched out its geolocation, it directed me to those woods."

Now Dayle and Jesse were looking at each other with huge eyes. "The woods." Jesse whispered. "Sarcrayle." Dayle murmured.

"This other Doctor you met. I take it something occurred involving him in those woods?" The Doctor asked them expectantly.

Jesse nodded. "Yeah. There was some real nasty business with this Zygon guy Arc. Along with a Tregannon called Sarcrayle." He looked a bit smug. "I actually wiped both of them out myself. The Tregannon with an Anti-time Sphere, the Zygon with an Impulse Laser."

Dayle rolled her eyes. "I'd say you had a bit of help. The other Dayle's telepathic powers were pretty damn impressive." She got a proud look in her eye. "Not to mention my mom's clairvoyance."

The Doctor was now completely taken aback. "I'm sorry. What exactly do you mean by 'other Dayle? She's telepathic? And your mother? She's clairvoyant?" He thought about Sienna healing the baby's injury and raised his eyebrows. Perhaps it ran in the family?

Gabe began to stir a bit in Dayle's arms and she handed him off to Jesse. "Take him to the daycare. I'm calling in."

Jesse looked disappointed, but nodded. "I will. But I am coming right back. I'm not missin any of this!" He bundled the sleeping baby up and grabbed a light green baby change bag from an end table. Before he walked out he turned and looked at Dayle pointedly. "You don't go near those woods without me." She nodded, fixing him with an affectionate look.

She turned back to the Doctor when the door closed behind Jesse. "So what the hell are you doing in this universe? Did you come back through the wormhole thingee?"

The Doctor was puzzled. "What do you mean _this universe_? I'm from this universe."

Dayle tried to explain herself better. "Well, I mean. When you meet me, it's because you are sent into a parallel universe outside of your own. You are thrown into a black hole and end up here. In Universe B. You meet me, or Dayle B as you call me. And then other universe me- or Dayle A as you call her- pulls you back through the black hole using her psychic powers. But that creates a wormhole. Which is apparently the plan of that evil Zygon dude all along. And then he teams up with the horrible Tregannon. You and Dayle A come back through the wormhole to stop them..." She stopped suddenly. "Maybe I'm not supposed to be telling you all this."

The Doctor had to sit down. He felt a bit dizzy. "This black hole. Do you happen to know where it is located exactly."

Dayle thought about it. "The Maylim Star System? Or something like that."

He had a very strange feeling. Something akin to dejavu. "Oh dear. Dayle. I didn't come through any black hole or wormhole. I'm from _this_ universe. I'm from _your_ universe."

Dayle's eyes got huge at this. She sat heavily beside him on the sofa. "Whoa. Uh. If you really are... who you say you are... well shit. I think I may have just met Doctor B."

* * *

Sienna sat in her parent's sunroom across from her mom. They both had untouched coffee cups in front of them on the fancy little glass topped wicker table. An awkward silence had fallen on the room.

Finally Sienna's mother, Alison Woods spoke. "You used last night." A statement, not a question.

Sienna felt numb at this point, like she had no tears left. "Yes. I ran into Chris at the gas station. And he said he just wanted to talk to me. So, like an idiot, I let him get in the car with me. I don't know why. I don't understand what I was thinking."

Alison's eyes were red. As if she had been crying all night. Sienna's heart ached because she probably had been. _Such a fucking failure._

"You know what your father said. That you can't stay here if you use again. He's going to want you to go back into the hospital." Alison brushed a strand of graying hair behind one ear. She looked Sienna in her eyes. "You've really let him down."

At this, instead of feeling guilty, Sienna got angry. She thought of her dad Gary. He'd always been so unforgiving. It had always been difficult between them. She often felt like an inconvenience who reflected badly on him. "Oh. I've let him down? Huh. Well, do you know where I was this morning? Do you know where I just came from?"

Alison was surprised at her daughter's sudden hostile tone. "Wh-where?"

"My _real_ mom's apartment. Dayle Moss, you remember her? I met her for the first time today."

Alison's face drained of color. She looked ashamed. She looked like she'd been caught in a lie. "Sienna. We never found a good way to tell you. We were always _going_ to tell you..." Sienna just stared silently, her arms crossed. Alison cleared her throat. "Who told you?"

"Nana let it slip when I was over helping in her yard last spring. And well, the internet is a wonderful place." Sienna said sarcastically.

Alison rolled her eyes skyward. "Sienna. You know that this doesn't mean you are loved any less than any other child. Your father and I wanted a baby so badly. And Dayle was such a blessing to us. Such a sad young lady with a troubled family. You were truly better off"

Sienna's voice became firm now. Certain. "I deserved to know. I deserved to know where I came from. I deserved to know why I always felt so different." The tears were back now.

Now her mother sounded angry. "We've given you a good life. A good home. You've been deprived of nothing."

Sienna shook her head. "Except the truth. And an understanding of who I really am. You don't get it. Don't you think it's entirely possible that addiction is in my blood? Did it ever occur to you that knowing that might have made me feel less like a loser? Less like an outcast? You and dad, it's all about your church and what looks good to the outside world. 'Sienna's our dirty little secret. Musn't let anyone know what a disappointment she really is'."

She got up, unable to stick around in this house for one more second. This anger she was feeling, it was new. Hadn't her shrink, all her counselors warned her it would come out eventually?

"Sienna. Where are you going? We need to discuss this before your dad gets home. We need to decide what we're going to do with you."

Sienna laughed humorlessly. "You don't have to worry about doing anything with me. I'm going to call a friend." She turned to go.

Alison stood. "Not that Chris. Please." she was pleading. "Don't go anywhere with him."

Sienna turned back, tried to put her mom's mind at ease. She really didn't want to hurt her. "I'm not going with Chris. I'm not going to get high. But it's pretty clear that I can't stay here. And I'm not going back to rehab."

Alison fixed her with a familiar look of pity that made Sienna want to crawl into a hole. "Honey. You need help. You're sick."

Sienna nodded and smiled stiffly. "Yep. I think I need to call a Doctor." She turned and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

They were now sitting at the dining room table. Dayle had prepared them some tea and he explained what exactly brought him to Sugar Creek.

"So you're saying that the story goes, _you_ caused the neutron star collision and killed billions of innocent beings?" Dayle shook her head and sipped from her mug. "Well I know that's bullshit. That Zygon guy, Arc caused it. You end up in the middle of it..." She stopped, and swiped a curl off her forehead. "I really feel like I shouldn't be telling you so much. The Doctor, _my_ Doctor always said it's not good to know too much about your future."

The Doctor set his mouth in a grim line. "In my case, it doesn't seem much like I have any control over what happens one way or another. I'm told it's a fixed point. I can't change it." He sipped his tea. "Besides, who's to say that the situations are exactly the same in both universes. Just because _your_ Doctor didn't cause the catastrophe in his universe, doesn't necessarily mean I don't in this one."

Dayle seemed to consider that. "This is crazy. Should I like, I don't know... try to get in touch with him, well you. Other you." She giggled. "I do have his number. Though... I must say I've not actually tried to reach him since he's gone back to Universe A."

The Doctor sighed. "Tell me if I've got this right. All this was the result of some rogue Zygon trying to escape to another universe. He utilized Tregannon technology and the telepathy of two beings to achieve his ends. The question remains then, did the same thing happen on this side of the black hole? Is there another Arc in this universe who attempted the very same plot?"

Dayle looked worried. "And did he succeed? Did he make it to the other universe?"

The Doctor stood. "I really think it's high time I go check out those woods."

Jesse walked in to the apartment at that exact moment. He looked from the Doctor to Dayle and back. "So are we going?" He was clearly ready for an adventure.

The Doctor grinned. "Yes. Let's go."

 _The Clearing, Twenty Minutes Later_

When they'd made it out of the treeline, Dayle gasped at the sight of the TARDIS.

"Jesse look! It really is the TARDIS." She ran toward it, Jesse right behind her. The Doctor continued his leisurely pace. He quite liked how excited they seemed to see his ship. He strolled over and proudly unlocked the door to let them in.

When they stepped inside, their expressions changed.

"Uhhhh." Jesse said, looking around, perplexed. "It's kinda... basic isn't it?"

Dayle was trying to be more tactful but he could see she was disappointed as well. "Yeah... it's very _white,_ and... well, simple. Sort of, minimalist."

The Doctor sighed. "I take it that the version of the TARDIS you've seen is a bit fancier than mine?"

"Well I wouldn't say fancier..." Dayle replied kindly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and stepped back outside onto the country road. "Take me to where everything happened."

They headed off in the crisp October air into the woods. Autumn leaves of every color blanketed the ground.

"Oh Jeez." Jesse murmured. He seemed to shiver a bit.

"I know." Dayle agreed. "Being out here is bringing everything back. I can remember that night like it was yesterday instead of two years ago."

It was obvious even to the Doctor when they'd reached the spot. A large area of the woods remained blackened, the result of a blazing fire. They all stopped and looked around. No birds sang now. Not a breath of breeze blew through the trees. The Doctor felt that same unsettled sensation he'd felt when he'd first stepped out of the TARDIS onto the country road. He knew they all felt the same thing. Something indescribable remained from the battle that had taken place here.

The Doctor suddenly felt a psionic disturbance. A crackling. Then something reaching out to him. Through time itself.

A ghostly voice filled his head.

" _Aren't you going to welcome me to your neck of the woods? Or do you just prefer injuring defenseless women?"_

"Jesse _look."_ Dayle gasped suddenly, bringing the Doctor back to himself. "It's still here!" She was holding a black satchel that had been badly burned but still survived the fire.

The Doctor felt his hearts speed up. "Is that it?" he asked.

Dayle shrugged and handed the bag to him. He looked inside and there it was. A Type 4211 Star Shifter. He shouldered the scorched bag and his attention was suddenly caught by a certain tree. He walked to it, touched its trunk and felt something reach into his mind.

 _He saw a man pinioned to the tree, held aloft by an invisible hand. He was being strangled to death. A woman's voice screamed "Let him go now please!"_

The Doctor shook himself and fell back a step.

"Hey. Doctor. Are you ok?" Jesse had walked to him, placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Haunted." he said quietly. "Definitely haunted."

"Yeah." Dayle said unevenly. "This place is real fucking creepy." Her eyes darted around. "Something doesn't feel right here."

"Well. I think I've seen enough." The Doctor told them, striving to sound casual. "Why don't we head back?"

They returned the way they'd came, none of them talking now. They were all a bit disturbed being out here. The further they got from the charred section of woods, the less troubled the Doctor felt.

When they reached the clearing he looked at his two new friends and gestured toward his ship. "Would you like to ride home in the TARDIS?" The looks of enthusiasm on their faces was answer enough.

He let them enter first. He felt a shiver come over his body at the threshold and turned to look back once more. The crackling returned, along with the voices. He heard and felt rain pouring down that wasn't really there.

" _You were dead! You were definitely dead!"_

" _Of course I was, but I forgot to tell you something so I figured I'd better just pop back over from the dead to say it."_

The Doctor staggered backwards into the TARDIS. He shut the door quickly and stood there feeling disorientated.

"Doctor...?" Dayle was asking, sounding concerned.

"It's a time fissure." He turned to face them. "Whatever happened here, whatever took place, it created a time fissure in these woods."

* * *

Sienna sat in her car, parked in the Kirkmore IGA lot on Dunhurst. She really didn't know where to go and it seemed just as good a spot as any to collect her thoughts.

She got out and leaned against her car, lighting a cigarette. She was seriously considering getting a hold of that weird British guy she'd met only hours before.

He had been right about one thing. She really didn't have many friends. Or as he had so eloquently put it, "Not the good kind."

Plus... she would swear it seemed like he might know something about her freaky healing quirk. It was something she'd kept hidden from everyone from the time she discovered the ability at 14. He had seemed merely fascinated by what he'd seen. Not even very surprised.

She sighed and pulled out her phone. She found him in her contacts and created a text message.

 _I may have been a bit hasty about that guardian angel thing._ After a moment's thought, she hit send.

She finished her cigarette, then sat back in her car, flipping through the radio stations. She tried not to let her mind wander to Dayle and what had happened this morning. Of all the ways she had pictured meeting her biological mother, fainting against her car had never once factored in.

Her phone went 'blip blip'. She opened the message.

 _Are you in trouble?_

Sienna sighed and typed out her one word reply.

 _Chronically._

Her phone blip blipped immediately.

 _Where are you?_

She exhaled a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. He was coming.

 _Kirkmore IGA on Dunhurst_ was her reply.

She put her phone into her purse, pulled down the rearview mirror to study her reflection. She made a disgusted sound. She looked like a hag. She pulled out a hairbrush and began working the tangles out of her long brown hair.

Before she realized what was happening, her driver's side door was wrenched open and a hand grabbed at her arm painfully, yanking her out of the car.

"What the _fuck_ Sienna?" Chris was in her face, eyes blazing.

Adrenaline surged through her body. He was definitely high. From the way he was sweating and so agitated, she thought meth was a good guess. Chris liked a little bit of everything. He couldn't even be faithful to one drug.

She attempted to move out from where he had her cornered and he shoved her roughly back against the car.

"Ouch! You're fucking hurting me." she shouted, looking around for someone to help her. It was 1:40 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. There were only two other cars in the lot. No pedestrians nearby.

"That was real cute the way you took off on me last night. I've been trying to call you all damn morning. And I know you know it." He was clenching and unclenching his jaw, gritting his teeth, his mouth tight when he spoke. Definitely meth.

"As charming as this display is, I would prefer you stay the hell away from me." She fought to stay calm. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of cowering or acting scared.

His hands went around her throat and he shoved her hard against the car.

OK, fuck calm. This asshole was trying to kill her.

"Chris! Please. Let go." He was actually choking the breath out of her.

"You bitch!" He yelled right in her face and shook her a little. Colored spots danced in front of her eyes. And she swore she heard some strange wheezing, groaning sound.

" _CHRIS_!" she managed to shout once more.

Chris knocked his forehead against hers, practically spitting on her when he talked. "I told you-"

She heard a familiar voice with a posh English accent interrupt him.

"Pardon me." It was the Doctor! Chris released her in surprise, turning around to deal with the interruption.

She rubbed her throat, her eyes watering.

Chris bowed up. "Can I help you fucker?"

"Chris, is it? Well Chris, I apologize in advance." And then the polite British man clocked Chris right in the face. He hit the ground like a sack of gravel.

The Doctor stepped over him like he was nothing more than that. "Sienna." he greeted her kindly, examining her throat. "It looks like you'll have some bruising here." He touched the spot gently. "Are you OK? Can you breathe?"

She nodded, her eyes wide. "How'd you get here so fast?" she croaked.

He grinned. "About that. Would you like to go for a ride?"

She looked around for his car. All she saw was Chris's shitty green Taurus and the two vehicles that had been here all along up closer to the grocery store.

She blinked. There was also that weird blue porta-potty looking box she'd seen this morning. She pointed at it. "OK... that thing was _not_ there five minutes ago."

"That's because I only just arrived in it." He held a hand out to take hers. "Shall we?"

She saw the hand he offered was the same he'd use to punch Chris. The knuckles were bleeding and already starting to bruise. He'd really put his weight behind it.

She took his hand, held it up, and touched the injuries gently. She closed her eyes and felt that current course through her. She breathed in the pain and exhaled it away. And the Doctor's hand was as good as new.

When she opened her eyes, she saw he was looking at her with a mixture of awe and something else she couldn't quite place. She smiled at him, and kissed his hand where the injury had been. "Thank you Guardian Angel."

She reached into her Chevy Cruze for her purse and keys, locked the door and laced her fingers with his. "So what's with the blue box?" she wondered.


	7. Chapter 7

Sienna was silent for a long time after boarding the TARDIS. She just walked around examining everything.

In all his seven hundred plus years of traveling time and space, he'd never had someone (other than a Time Lord) enter his TARDIS and stay quiet. It unnerved him.

He had dematerialized and put them in the time vortex. He stepped away from the console, hands in his pockets.

"Sienna?" he asked, getting a bit worried.

She looked over at him, like she'd forgotten he was even there. "This is..." she gestured to the large console room. "This is unbelievable. I literally can't believe it. It's... spectacular." She shook her head, brow furrowed.

It was a nice change from Jesse's _basic_ and Dayle's _simple_ , he thought, chuckling to himself. He had dropped them back off at home, promising he would return soon. Very nice folks.

"How is it bigger on the inside?" Sienna looked slightly overwhelmed.

"It's dimensionally transcendental." He informed her, smiling. "And this isn't all of it. The TARDIS is nearly infinite. Through those corridors are many more rooms." He pointed to a doorway.

She took a deep breath, then sat in a chair near the door. She looked up at him. "Who or _what_ the hell are you?"

The Doctor walked over to where she sat and knelt in front of her so they were on the same level.

"I am what you would call an alien. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I'm about 800 years old. And this is the TARDIS, my ship in which I travel all of time and space."

She nodded, chewing on her fingernails, quite pale. "OK."

He continued. "I was in the woods this morning because I was searching for a device and I tracked it there."

Sienna's leg was shaking and she was still white as a sheet. She nodded again. "Anything else?" she asked.

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Apparently there is a parallel universe version of me that your mother...er Dayle knows quite well. There was a whole incident involving her and her alternate universe counterpart a couple years back. A bit much to take in really."

Savannah nodded again, then leaned forward and vomited all over him.

"Marvelous." he muttered.

 _The Malum Star System, One Hour Later_

Once the Doctor had cleaned himself up, he decided he should see about getting some readings on the wormhole Dayle had told him about. It would also give Sienna a chance to see something extraordinary. Now that she seemed to be feeling better.

She had felt terribly embarrassed and apologized over and over. She offered to clean up the mess but the TARDIS took care of that herself, much to Sienna's amazement. The Doctor reassured her that it was perfectly normal to get a bit nauseous the first time in a TARDIS. Lots of people get vortex sickness.

He was studying the readouts from his computer and staring at the black hole on the scanner. Sienna suddenly reappeared, her hair wet from a shower, wearing a different outfit.

"This place is fucking amazing!" She seemed to have gotten over the shock and now she was having the time of her life. "Are we in space yet?" she asked him eagerly.

He frowned at her language and nodded. "Why don't you pull that lever right over _there_..."

"This one?" Sienna asked. She did and the doors sprang open, revealing the infinite expanse of the cosmos.

She gasped, sucking in a breath sharply. Like the very sight of deep space had affected her physically.

Sienna edged toward the door. "How are we breathing? How am I not getting sucked out?" she wondered.

"There's a force field. You're perfectly safe."

She took a deep breath then sat on the edge of the threshold, her legs dangling. He took a step toward her.

"Do be careful there Sienna. The force field won't stop you floating off into space if you were to fall off the edge..."

She leaned back and looked at him. "Come sit with me then, Guardian Angel." When he hesitated, she added a sweet "Pleeeeease."

He rolled his eyes and joined her, sitting on the edge. He'd never done this before. It was actually quite exhilarating. He didn't think too much of it when she reached over and took his hand.

He looked over at her. It was the first time he'd actually seen her look happy since they'd met. Her large brown eyes were vibrant, and she was smiling widely, showing dimples.

"Doctor does this ever get old?" she asked him after a moment. "All this, space and the stars. The vastness." She smiled again, gestured outside. "Are you bored of this?"

The Doctor considered her words. "Well, I'm certainly used to it. The awesomeness definitely wears off after a time. But. Seeing it through your eyes. Watching you marvel at all of it. That makes it awesome for me again." He smiled at her.

She looked at him with a half smile. "You know. You're not bad looking for an 800 year old dude."

He looked away quickly. He didn't much like the way she was gazing at him. Like maybe she fancied him a bit. He stood up, helping her to her feet.

"I need to take a look at the specs on this wormhole." He put his glasses on and headed back to the console.

* * *

The Doctor was busy using his computer to take measurements of something, muttering to himself. Sienna watched him, thinking that for how young he looked, he sure acted like a grouchy old man. She giggled.

This day had certainly been the strangest she'd lived through yet. She glanced around the bright white control room, out the opened doors that revealed the blue black of deep space. At the stars that shined so brightly. Sienna leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. This was the first time she'd felt at peace in a very long time.

The sudden sound of the Doctor's voice startled her out of her reverie.

"That's _impossible._ " She looked over at him. He had taken his glasses off, his hand was on his head. There was a look of absolute disbelief on his face.

She approached him, concerned. "Doctor... what is it?"

He was shaking his head. "This can't be right. It-it-it doesn't fit." He returned his glasses to his face, and looked at the scanner as if he expected the results to have changed.

Sienna's patience had run out. "Doctor. _What the hell is wrong?_ "

He sighed, his hands on his hips. "For starters there's no wormhole at all..." He studied the screen with squinted eyes yet again."And what's more, the black hole. It isn't a black hole."

Sienna blinked. "Come again."

"It's _two_ black holes." He was shaking his head again. "A binary black hole. Two black holes merged together."

She squinted at him, trying to make some sense out of the nonsense he was spouting. "And that's bad...?"

"Well no," he turned off the scanner, pulled the dematerialization lever. "not in and of itself. But it certainly doesn't fit anything I've learned of what happened here. It doesn't fit the official story and it doesn't fit Dayle's story either."

He looked over at Sienna leaning against the wall. "Sienna." he began. "I'm going to need to return to Dayle's place. I need to gather more information about what happened. The more I learn, it seems the less I know." He wiped his hand over his face.

She was silent. Then she nodded. "I'm cool with that."

The Doctor eyed her suspiciously. "You aren't going to cause trouble or otherwise terrorize Dayle and her family?"

Sienna giggled a bit. "You make me sound like a villain." She held up her right hand solemnly. "I hereby swear not to be a tremendous asshole to my biological mom."

He laughed, seemingly despite himself.

Her eyes sparkled. "Besides. Now you have me intrigued. I can't leave before I find out what happened!"

 _Dayle & Jesse's Apartment, Ten Minutes Later_

She leaned against the console chewing on her bottom lip. She watched the Doctor exit the TARDIS, heard the annoying squeak that the doors made when they swung open or closed.

"No sense in delaying the inevitable." she grumbled to herself and followed.

She stepped out into their apartment and found the Doctor already deep in conversation with Dayle and Jesse. Maybe she could sneak past unnoticed.

She made her way to the sofa silently. She sat, wondering where the little dude was. She may have initially resented what Gabe represented to her, but if she was honest, that child was an absolute doll.

"Hi there Sienna. Glad you came back." Dayle had appeared nearby. She had noticed Sienna's not-so-stealth maneuver and detached herself from the conversation. The Doctor and Jesse were still animated, jabbering away.

Sienna glanced at Dayle and then looked away. She was startled to discover that Dayle was every bit as nervous as her. Maybe even more so.

Sienna swallowed. "Hello" she replied in a voice that didn't sound anything like her own.

Dayle looked relieved to have surpassed that hurdle. "Mind if I join you?"

"It's your sofa." Sienna had aimed for casual but was pretty sure she'd just achieved asshole status instead. Breaking her vow. She sighed. "Yes, of course." she corrected herself.

Dayle sat closer to the end giving Sienna plenty of space. After a couple minutes of awkward silence, Sienna finally blurted "How did you know?" Dayle looked up, surprised.

Sienna looked back at her, really looked at her for the first time. She was actually quite beautiful for someone near 40. Blue-gray eyes and a smile identical to her own. Curly blonde hair. She tried again. "How did you know who I was down in the parking lot?"

Dayle shifted uncomfortably. "Um, well. I'm not sure I can answer that without sounding crazy." She giggled nervously. "How much has the Doctor told you about the whole parallel universe thing?"

Sienna hadn't expected that as a response. She stammered a bit. "Well... n-n-not really much I could understand. Plus I sorta puked on him right afterwards."

At this Dayle cracked up laughing and Sienna actually ended up joining in. It felt good to really laugh. And it broke some of the tension.

When the laughter died down, Dayle said, "So. There's this parallel universe. And in that universe there's another... well... _me._ Exactly the same except our lives diverged at certain important outcomes." Dayle looked at Sienna, palpably reluctant to continue. "In this other universe, the other Dayle kept the baby she had at sixteen." She stopped, looking like she expected the end of the world.

Sienna just blinked. She didn't know quite how to feel. Or if she even believed what the woman was telling her. She was actually kind of fascinated. "Sooo... you're saying there's a parallel universe _me_ as well?"

Dayle nodded. "Exactly. Her name is Savannah. And her mother showed me her picture. That's how I knew as soon as I saw you." She looked down at her hands.

Sienna leaned forward. "What's she like? Savannah?" Her voice broke. "I bet she's good isn't she? Not a fuck up like me."

Dayle's eyes filled with tears. "When I very first met the other Dayle, she told me about her oldest daughter. How she had her nose and smile. She didn't say anything about her being good or bad."

Dayle paused a moment, trying to hold it together. "In fact I remember what she told me, word for word. She said that she is smart and sensitive and strong." She looked away from Sienna, unable to keep from crying. "She said that Savannah was the most loving and forgiving person she'd ever met. And if you were anything like her, you'd be very happy to know me."

With that, something broke inside Sienna and she began to sob like a little kid. The Doctor came right over to her, but Dayle got to her first. She grabbed her in an embrace that she couldn't have wiggled out of had she tried. And Sienna didn't try. She was only dimly aware that the Doctor and Jesse walked away to give them some space.

At 23 years old, Sienna Woods hugged her mother for the first time. And they cried together.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor was heartened to see mother and daughter share an emotional moment. He wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to give them a bit of alone time.

"Say Jesse. Would you perhaps like to head back out to the woods with me? Investigate things a bit more thoroughly?"

The Doctor didn't miss the look of anxiety that crossed Jesse's eyes fleetingly at the mention of the woods. He did his best to cover it up with some false bravado. "Sure. I suppose we can leave the ladies to their own devices." He clapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "And you haven't seen the Tregannon crashsite yet either."

Jesse scribbled a quick note and grabbed his jacket. The Doctor stood at the entrance to the TARDIS. "Shall we?" he asked Jesse.

A quick hop later and the TARDIS landed in the same spot it had last time, right in the middle of the country road in the clearing.

When they stepped out, Jesse looked all around like he fully expected to see ghosts everywhere. "Something about that road." he mumbled as they walked. "We always end up on that damn road." He had grabbed a torch from the TARDIS and he was fidgeting with it.

The Doctor looked at him, curious. "What do you mean?" They were in the woods now, daylight was fading fast. The Doctor was getting those inexplicable chills again. He figured they'd better hurry.

Jesse shivered. "Well, it's just that when the other Dayle and the other Doctor met telepathically, it was on that road. And neither of them had even seen it before. And the TARDIS seems to always land there. Plus there was that whole dramatic kiss in the rain there when the other Doctor came back from the dead and finally told the other Dayle he loved her." He scoffed. "If you ask me, it was a bit corny. But then, I prefer my sci fi with a bit less sentiment... Hey. Doc? You OK?"

The Doctor had come to a complete stop in the middle of the woods and was looking at Jesse like he'd grown three heads. "I'm sorry, would you repeat that bit about the kiss a-a-and love business? I'm afraid I misheard you."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "I have to admit. They were actually pretty damn cute together. But there was all this flirting and sexual tension." Jesse shook his head. "Dayle, my Dayle and I had to practically push them together. We never thought they'd do it. And then of course after they did he acted like a complete asshole to her..."

The Doctor began choking on his own saliva at that. Jesse pounded him on the back. When he finally got his breath back, he looked at Jesse, brow furrowed. "D-d-do it?" He immediately regretted his decision to ask that question. Jesse, it seemed, had no filter.

"Well _yeah._ I mean, you've seen my wife. The Dayles are smokin hot. And I'm not trying to be a pig but the other Dayle has a tremendous rack." He shook his head "He'd have been an idiot not to go for it. I wonder what that would be like. Sex in a time machine."

"OK _that's it!_ " the Doctor shouted suddenly, grabbing the torch out of Jesse's hand. He started forward through the woods once more, muttering under his breath. " _Disgraceful...a Time Lord with a human..."_ Jesse followed, now silent.

The Doctor suddenly rounded on him. "I'm sorry did you say _in_ the time machine?" Jesse nodded mutely, looking a little afraid of the Doctor at the moment.

The Doctor put his face in his hands and made a loud sound of disgust. He looked up, pointed at Jesse and told him in all seriousness, "Under no circumstances, is there _ever_ to be any hanky panky in _my_ TARDIS. Apparently we Doctors go by different rules according to which universe we're from."

It was then that the Doctor was overtaken by a crackling sound in his head, followed by a ghostly maniacal laugh. He looked around, pointing the flashlight through the trees.

"Hey Doc. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Jesse had his arms folded over his chest, shivering. "I mean, I could always show you the Tregannon ship in the morning..."

Before the Doctor could reply, another spectral temporal echo interrupted him.

" _Doctor what are you going to do? You're just marching into the dark woods alone..."_

The Doctor was torn. He didn't want to have to come back if not strictly necessary, but there was so much here he felt he needed to know. He tried to shake off the ghosts.

Jesse was looking at him. "Are you alright?"

The Doctor tried to explain. "This time fissure. It's echoing what happened here two years ago. I can actually _hear_ bits of conversation from then inside my head."

Jesse's eyes got wide. "That's really messed up. What exactly _is_ a time fissure anyway? Are we in danger, like right now?"

The Doctor had made up his mind and started to head back to the TARDIS. He shouldn't have put Jesse in this situation. "I'm not for certain if we're in danger. All time fissures behave a little differently. Often when you hear of areas that are haunted, where people hear or see ghosts, it's simply the result of a time fissure. What happened here was so terrible, so violent, I fear bad things could happen in these woods."

"Why don't you use your sonic screwdriver to scan the area. See if you can detect anything malicious here."

"I don't have one." he replied stiffly.

" _That's fucking stupid. You haven't got anything. That thing will tear you apart."_

The Doctor began to feel lightheaded. He heard himself speak words that weren't his own out loud. "It better hope it does."

His legs started to buckle. Jesse came to him, tried to hold him up.

Just then, a voice that was definitely not his own actually spoke through him.

"When you're through with your temper tantrum, perhaps you might fill me in on how you got to this planet. Where's your ship?" The Doctor fell forward onto his knees.

"Oh my god. That was _him_." Jesse sounded stupefied. "That was actually the other Doctor. His voice I mean. Oh holy shit. We need to get you out of here." Jesse leaned down to help the Doctor up who was now face down, on all fours.

A shrieking maniacal cackle suddenly emanated from deep within the Doctor's chest.

The Doctor sat up then and looked at Jesse blankly. He spoke in a horrible, shrieking voice."Doctor, I see you've brought me some new friends to play with."

* * *

When the tears were dry, Sienna and Dayle had a chance to talk to each other a bit. She learned about her grandmother Lenore. About her Aunt Lynette.

Sienna learned of her grandfather's addiction, as well as her father's. And she was very interested to hear that the Dayle of the other universe was a recovered heroin addict herself.

Sienna found herself wishing she could meet that other Dayle. She had a feeling they'd have a lot to talk about.

"It's awfully quiet." Dayle said all of a sudden, looking around. "Where'd the boys go?"

They both stood and spotted the note on the end table at the same time.

 _Doc and I are headed to the woods to see the crashsite. A little bro time. Be back soon!_

Dayle sighed. "Why do I get this feeling that we're going to end up having to rescue their dumb asses?"

Sienna chuckled. "Hey, where's Gabe at?"

"Gabe's staying with my mother this evening. She hasn't got to spend much time with him lately and when she offered, I thought it was pretty good timing."

Dayle swiped at her face, still concerned.

"What is it?" Sienna wondered.

"It's just. The woods. Earlier the Doctor said there was a time fissure there. And he never really explained what that meant... but I do know it's super creepy out there. Even in daylight. Too still. It's like something's hung around from that awful night two years ago." She rubbed her arms and Sienna could see she had goosebumps. Just from talking about it.

Sienna looked her in the eyes. "I'd trust your instincts if I were you. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to check on them."

Dayle nodded. "Grab your jacket."

 _The Clearing, Ten Minutes Later_

They both had flashlights but the darkness seemed almost impenetrable. Sienna heard Dayle breathe a sigh of relief when they reached the clearing and saw the TARDIS.

"Do you think they're in there?" Sienna asked.

Just then, a maniacal cackle echoed through the woods. It made Sienna's hair stand on end. She looked over at Dayle and saw the look of absolute terror on her face. And something else. Recognition.

"The Tregannon." Dayle said, breathing shakily. "But that's not possible."

Suddenly a man's voice shouted _"No, please! No!"_

" _Jesse!"_ Dayle screamed. Heedless of the danger she was running toward, she ran into the woods to find her husband.

Sienna struggled to keep up, a bit embarrassed that a 38 year old woman was clearly in better shape than her. She also found herself impressed by Dayle's bravery. She hadn't hesitated. She heard someone she loved in trouble and just reacted.

As they got deeper into the woods, Sienna started to feel a bit strange. It was like, whispering in the trees but the trees were perfectly still. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye but when she'd look there was nothing there.

Dayle stopped abruptly and Sienna ran right into her back. Up ahead they saw Jesse sitting propped up against a tree, clearly injured. The Doctor standing over him. Menacingly?

Sienna narrowed her eyes. "What the hell...?" she whispered.

"Sienna, you stay here." Dayle commanded and headed for the men.

"Piss on that." Sienna muttered and followed.

They reached the Doctor and Jesse at the same time.

" _Where is it!?"_ the Doctor hissed at Jesse in a voice that was most definitely not his own. "Give it to me now and I might let you walk away alive."

"Doctor?" Sienna asked in a quavering voice. She could see that Jesse was bleeding and unconscious. And his leg was definitely broken. _What the hell had the Doctor done?_

The Doctor turned, his face completely devoid of any emotion.

Dayle automatically put herself between him and Sienna.

"Back off goddammit." she yelled at him.

The Doctor cocked his head to one side and that horrible voice came through him again.

"It's gone! The most important component is missing. The induction loop. One of you must have removed it. Give it back to me now!"

He advanced on the women slowly.

They walked backwards quickly, Dayle still shielding Sienna from the Doctor.

Dayle turned her head to Sienna and whispered "This has already happened. The stuff he's saying. It's what that alien dick said to the other Dayle just before Jesse blasted him to kingdom come."

"Wh-wh-what do we do?" Sienna was very near tears. The Doctor was so not himself. The lights were on but nobody was home.

Dayle sighed. "No ideas here sweetie. You?"

"What would the Doctor do?" Sienna asked.

"Probably fucking talk the thing to death." Dayle muttered. They had backed themselves into a large tree. The Doctor was only 5 or 6 feet from them, closing the distance rapidly.

And then all of a sudden, a breeze came through the trees where there had been none before. Night birds took wing, making flapping sounds above them. The Doctor fell to one knee, his hands to his head.

"You know. That is incredibly rude." The Doctor said, looking up at them somewhat bleary eyed. "You'd be surprised at what effective weapons words can be."

" _Doctor?"_ Sienna and Dayle shouted in unison.

He was definitely disoriented. "What's happened?" He glanced around. "Where is Jesse?"

At his name, Dayle ran to her husband and knelt down beside his seated form. She was crying. "Jesse honey. Babe. Wake up. Are you alright?"

Sienna went to the Doctor cautiously. "Doctor, did you do that to Jesse?" She pointed with a shaking finger.

The Doctor turned to see. His eyes got huge. He covered his mouth with one hand. "I-I-I don't remember..."

Jesse was stirring. "It's OK babe." he groaned. "I'm alive. But I sure would appreciate getting the hell out of these freaky ass woods like, well, now!"

Dayle was still crying. "How are we gonna get you out of here. No way you can walk. I can't believe this. What the fuck happened?"

The Doctor stood frozen, looking at his shaking hands. Sienna could see that he was horrified. She went to him and hugged his side comfortingly.

Jesse tried to explain in a weak voice. "That thing. That Tregannon. It was here. It was like it was reaching forward through time." He shook his head. "It completely took over the Doctor. The Doctor didn't do this. He wasn't even really here when this happened."

"You hear that?" Sienna asked him gently. "It wasn't you. It's OK. It wasn't you."

The Doctor seemed to exhale a deep breath he'd been holding. He dropped his hands. Sienna grabbed one of them and squeezed it in a comforting gesture. "It's OK. Look. He's alive." she whispered.

"I need to see..." He squeezed Sienna's hand back before heading toward Jesse and Dayle.

He knelt beside Dayle. "Let me take a look."

It was pretty clear that the trauma of seeing her husband in this condition had completely canceled out her medical training. She was a mess. "He's bleeding... from his head." she sobbed. "And his leg. It's bent the wrong way."

"Shhh." The Doctor soothed. "Just let me see him."

Sienna walked forward slowly, chewing on her bottom lip. When she reached them she stopped, wondering if what she was about to do was a mistake. Then she saw the pain on Dayle's face and said softly, "Get out of the way."

For some reason this seemed to snap Dayle out of it. She stopped freaking out for a moment and looked at Sienna, perplexed. The Doctor looked up into her eyes. He nodded.

"Come along Dayle. Let's just give Sienna some room, shall we?" He stood and took Dayle by the hand, pulling her to her feet.

"What the hell are you talking about? What is she going to do. Hey... let go of me." The Doctor restrained her gently.

Sienna knelt in front of Jesse who was now looking at her with curious eyes. "Hi there Sienna." he said, sounding absolutely whipped.

"Hi Jesse. Why don't you close your eyes?" He was startled at her words, but not as startled as she was when he obeyed her.

"Doctor, what is she doing?" Dayle's voice was growing louder.

"Shhh. Just wait." he told her.

Sienna sighed. This one was going to take something out of her. She placed one hand on Jesse's head, the other on his broken leg. She closed her eyes. She could feel Jesse's energy. Something in her was able to read it, to understand it. She felt his pain. Something in her knew what was wrong, knew how to fix it. She felt the flow of energy as it moved from her to him. It began in her stomach, moved upward, out through her fingers.

She breathed in the pain. So much pain, she nearly choked on it. She exhaled it away, coughing, gagging. She was having a coughing fit, tears pouring down her face. She coughed so hard, she saw stars. She fell backwards and saw blackness.


	9. Chapter 9

_The Woods, 8:40 p.m._

Jesse opened his eyes, looking confused. "What the hell?"

When Sienna fell back, the Doctor had been there to catch her. She was breathing normally, with a strong pulse. She looked like she was just sleeping. He frowned. "Healing injuries that severe must take quite a lot out of you." he murmured, touching her face gently.

Jesse stood up carefully and Dayle looked at him in amazement. She checked him over, seeing for herself that no trace of the trauma remained.

Jesse was awestruck. "I'm totally fine now. Like, I was really fucked up, and she just touched it and fixed it." He shook his head. "Unreal." Dayle was speechless.

Despite the Doctor's protests, Jesse himself insisted on carrying the young woman back to the TARDIS.

He scooped her up and cradled her gently. He was gazing at her face with a mixture of gratitude and amazement. "Is she OK?" he wondered.

The Doctor nodded. "I think she just needs to rest."

They walked back in silence, Dayle and Jesse still in complete shock over Sienna's abilities. The Doctor was thoroughly disturbed by what had happened in the woods. He knew he hadn't been himself, that he'd had no control, but that didn't make him feel any less culpable.

When they reached the TARDIS, the Doctor suggested they put Sienna in Peri's bedroom. After they'd settled her in the bed beneath the covers, they closed the door and headed back to the console room.

"What the hell just happened? I mean... how did she _do_ that?" Dayle asked, crossing her arms incredulously.

The Doctor dematerialized the TARDIS and turned, leaning against the console. "Sienna is a natural energy healer. She has the ability to perceive the energy field of other beings, tune into their frequency. And in some way, use her own energy to take away pain." He scratched his face, raised his eyebrows. "Quite frankly, I've never met another human with that ability."

Dayle squinted, trying to understand. "Ok, so I've got a mother who is clairvoyant, a counterpart in another universe who is claircognizant, and my daughter can _heal_ people?" She sat down hard in a nearby seat. Jesse came over and massaged her shoulders lovingly.

She looked at the Doctor, shaking her head. "What does this mean?"

"There's no way to really know. Clearly it's something in your bloodline. Perhaps it skips a generation. Perhaps the other Dayle's grandchild will have some telepathic gift as well." His eyes became troubled. He looked at Jesse, then away. "Jesse. I am so terribly sorry for what happened..."

Jesse quickly waved him away. "Please, don't." He insisted. "That was not your fault. There's something out there. Something in those woods. It's like replaying what happened to us. It's like it just used you somehow."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. It tapped into my telepathy, used me as a conduit. I still should have never put you in that situation. I knew something was wrong with that place." He shook his head.

When nobody said anything after a moment, the Doctor told them,"I have a feeling that the device you mentioned, the Anti-Time Sphere used to destroy the Tregannon, has something to do with all this. It's fairly urgent that I find out more. A time fissure is a weakness in the fabric of time and space. They can be unpredictable. As we've seen, they can just sort of _leak_ events from another time. Temporal echoes. But they can also cause time distortions. If a time fissure ruptures, they can even misplace people from time. Become doorways to other worlds."

Dayle and Jesse looked shocked at that news. They were all quiet, thinking their own thoughts as the TARDIS rematerialized.

Finally Jesse said, "So what is the deal with that black hole? You said there's no wormhole there? And that it's actually _two_ black holes. What could that mean?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "It's quite possible that the wormhole became unstable and simply collapsed. The binary black hole, I honestly don't know. It certainly doesn't fit any of the information I've gotten until now."

Dayle stood, looking a bit sad. "So that means... the doorway between universes is closed. The Doctor, the other Doctor and the other Dayle... we'll probably never see them again."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I had considered that. And it also means I won't be able to rely on him for any information."

They had landed, and Jesse opened the TARDIS door and stepped out into their living room.

"So...Sienna?" Dayle asked. "Should we just leave her here?"

"Certainly. She is perfectly safe. I do have some reading I'd like to do on time fissures, and a planet I need to visit to gather information, but I'll go back in and check on her from time to time."

Dayle and Jesse departed and the Doctor set his destination to the time vortex. He started the dematerializion sequence, then decided to peek in on Sienna.

He knocked lightly on the bedroom door, opened the door slowly. She was sitting up looking a little dazed. "Man, where am I?" she asked, looking around the bedroom.

The Doctor leaned against the door frame. "You're on the TARDIS. I've just dropped Dayle and Jesse off at home."

She nodded, getting her bearings. "Jesse?"

The Doctor smiled faintly. "As good as new. You completely healed him." His eyes became concerned. "Clearly at some cost to you."

Sienna looked down at her hands, smiled shyly. "Yeah, well. It seems the more severe the injury, the more wiped out I get after." After a comfortable silence, she asked, "How did Dayle react? To what I did."

"Stunned at first obviously. Grateful. But she's seen her share of oddities. I'm not sure if you know this, but telepathic abilities seem to be in your bloodline. Your grandmother has the gift of seeing the future. And the Dayle in the other universe has the gift of knowing." He studied the troubled young woman with the bruises blossoming on her throat from her ex boyfriend assaulting her. "And you. The healer."

She seemed to know what he was going to say next. "It doesn't work on me." She said softly. "It seems I can fix anything broken, cut or otherwise damaged on anyone else's body, but I can't heal myself." Tears came to her eyes, but she laughed. "So fucking ironic. I'm a complete mess. I'm the most broken person I know. But I can't heal myself." She smiled, her brown eyes looking world weary and sad.

The Doctor nodded, acknowledging her struggles. Then he said firmly, "But you can. And you're the only one who can."

Sienna looked surprised at his tone. He continued just the same, "I don't have to tell you that there are others who've had it far worse than you. Others who don't have someone to give a damn. Others not as smart or as strong or as brave as you seem to be." His blue eyes bore into her. "What you need to do is let go of what's been done. Let go of the mistakes, and the stumbles and the misses. And keep your eyes straight ahead of you." He looked down at his hands and said softly, "We all have to."

Her expression was unreadable so he wasn't sure if he'd helped or hurt her feelings. He knew at times his rational way of approaching things came off as harsh. He cleared his throat. "I'm going to leave you to get some more rest." He turned to go.

Sienna stopped him. "Wait." She stood up, still a bit wobbly, and walked toward him. He watched her, a curious expression on his face.

When she got to him, she tucked her arms beneath his arms and hugged him tightly, laying her head against his chest. "Thank you. Again and again. Thank you." she whispered.

After a moment of uncertainty, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.

* * *

 _In the TARDIS_

Sienna woke from a restful sleep the next morning. With no windows in the room she had no idea at first whether it was night or day. She rolled over and checked her phone. 7:12 a.m.

She also saw 8 texts from Chris and 3 from her mother, Alison. She deleted the Chris messages without reading them. She yawned and wondered how best to deal with her mom. After a moment she simply texted _I am ok. I'm staying away from Chris and I'm not using. I just need some time._ and hit send.

She wandered bleary-eyed and barefoot into the console room to find it empty. "Where's an 800 year old alien when you need a cup of coffee?" she muttered to herself.

She wondered where exactly the TARDIS was parked. Or if they were in space or in that time vortex thing he'd told her about.

She thought about what he'd told her, about the TARDIS being nearly infinite. That there were many more rooms down the corridor. Curiosity got the better of her and she headed back down the hallway.

The corridor was completely white and utilitarian, much like the console room. Interesting considering the bedroom in which she had just slept was warm and homey with pastel wallpaper and ornamental lamps.

She came to the first door past the bedroom and opened it cautiously. It looked like some type of laboratory, like something she'd seen in the movies. Beakers and jars and flasks were arranged haphazardly on one counter. There was a double sided sink. Some type of centrifuge machine sat beside that. There were three large computerized machines and a desk covered in papers and books. She could definitely picture the Doctor in here trying to solve the problems of the universe. She closed the door gently and continued on down the hall.

The next two doors were locked. One after that opened to reveal a startlingly sizable space. She squinted in disbelief. It was a totally 1980s looking skating rink. She giggled. She most _definitely_ could not picture the Doctor in this room.

The next room she discovered was a beautifully ornate library. It actually took her breath away. Walls of books surrounded her. The shelves were made of dark wood. The furniture and light fixtures had a Victorian feel. She could definitely see _herself_ in this room. She'd always loved to read though the past couple years she hadn't the motivation or concentration for it. She promised herself she'd revisit this place soon.

Now she was most definitely ready for a cup of coffee and she was afraid she may have made a wrong turn. It seems she'd been walking forever away from the console room so when she made a left and walked right back into it, she was pretty tripped out. It was like some kind of funhouse maze where the halls rearranged themselves.

It was then that the Doctor strolled in from outside the TARDIS. "Good morning Sienna." he greeted her warmly. He looked her over and noticed she was barefoot. For some reason that made him smile. He took his hat off and hung it on a hat rack.

"So where exactly are we right now?" Sienna wondered.

He tapped a few keys on the console. "We are currently on a planet called Arkheon." he studied the scanner, glanced over at her and grinned mysteriously. "Otherwise known as the Planet of Ghosts."

Sienna felt a little chill, accompanied by a rush of excitement. "And why do they call it the Planet of Ghosts?"

"Well, you see, there is a chronic schism at the planet's core." He knelt beneath the console and began rummaging through a box of tools and gadgets. "In other words, a time fissure. It's known as the Arkheon Threshold."

Sienna stepped over to the console and looked down at him, brow furrowed. " A time fissure. Explain?"

"A time fissure is a spot of weakness in the fabric of time and space." he told her, his voice muffled. "Time fissures affect space and time that surrounds them. The result is often something called temporal echoes. Events leaking forward or backward in time." The Doctor stood looking pleased. He had found some gold remote control looking device. He blew dust off of it and examined it carefully.

Sienna nodded. "So that's what we encountered in the woods last night then."

He cleared his throat. "Yes it was." He looked troubled just remembering it.

"Well. I can see why they'd call this the Planet of Ghosts then." Sienna murmured.

He was now tinkering with the device with a small screwdriver. "Anyway, the Arkheon Threshold is known to be fairly stable as time fissures go. Visitors here predictably encounter spectral visions of long dead inhabitants." He looked back toward her, brow furrowed. "Did I mention that half the planet is dead?"

Sienna's eyes got wide. "Uh, no, you sort of buried the lead there Doc."

"Yes, well, we have a species called the Daleks to thank for that. Early in the 26th century, during the first part of their war, they attacked Arkheon and ended up using a planet splitter, which exposed the planet's core. Thus, exposing the Threshold." He cleared his throat, opened the casing of the device and touched a wire which promptly shocked him. " _Ow!"_

Sienna chuckled and shook her head at him. "So what do you hope to accomplish here? I'm assuming it has something to do with your trusty little gadget there."

The Doctor looked a little salty that she was mocking him but went on. "This device is called a Temporal Meter. I'm hoping to take some baseline readings here on Arkheon. From there I can measure the severity of the time fissure in those woods in Sugar Creek."

Sienna made an impressed face. "Cool. So... is there any place on the Planet of Ghosts to get a cup of coffee?" She smiled at him sweetly.


	10. Chapter 10

_Colony 5 Base, Arkheon, 2559 A.D._

"Well how the hell was I supposed to know I couldn't smoke a cigarette in this atmosphere?" Sienna crossed her arms as she stomped across the base's bridge, looking a little like a sulky teenager. "I didn't think it'd be cool to smoke in the TARDIS."

"How very considerate of you." The Doctor said sarcastically, taking off his space helmet and walking a bit ahead of her. "It's a good job all that happened was a small flare up of the fressilon gas.

"Small?" she shouted indignantly. "That fucking fire ball almost burned my face off!"

He continued forward, fully intent on remaining vexed but suddenly, he found he couldn't stop himself from laughing. He actually had to stop walking for a moment to collect himself.

Sienna stopped too, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed. "You think it's _funny_ that when I went to light my cigarette, a gigantic green flame came within inches of incinerating me?"

After a few seconds of silence, they both dissolved into laughter.

"A bit." he admitted when the laughter had died down.

She wiped her eyes and shook her head, still giggling a little. "When on Arkheon..." She glanced over at him after a couple minutes as they walked side by side down a long corridor. "Did you get everything you needed?"

The Doctor nodded just as they made a left into an alcove and arrived at the front door of the TARDIS. He held up the gold Temporal Meter. "I got my baseline readings from the Threshold along with some more data for the TARDIS to analyze." He was quite pleased that their visit to Arkheon was uneventful, aside from Sienna igniting atmospheric gas with her Bic lighter of course.

"Well, I have to say. I am a bit disappointed I didn't get to witness any of the spectral visions you told me about." Sienna leaned against the wall while the Doctor dug for his TARDIS key. "The closest I even got to setting foot on the planet was the enclosed garden."

"I am sorry about that but there was simply no way you could get near the exposed core without a radiation suit and breathing apparatus. Unfortunately, I only have one." He inserted his key into the lock on the door of the TARDIS just as an ear splitting alarm began to sound.

Sienna's eyes got huge. "What the hell...?" She leaned back out into the corridor just as a group of armed security officers rushed by. "This isn't about _us_ is it?" she asked the Doctor nervously, exiting the alcove and watching after them.

He too had stepped back into the corridor and stared after the retreating figures. He shook his head. "I suspect not. There's been a breach of the base. And if I'm not mistaken, that alarm is to warn the colony of a mutant intrusion."

"I'm sorry, a _mutant_!?" Sienna spat incredulously.

"Yes, well. Did I mention the half of the planet's inhabitants that _did_ survive the Dalek incursion mutated into savage beasts due to the radiation?" He gave her an innocent smile.

"Christ on a cracker! Remind me to never use you as a travel agent. You... _oh shit_..." Sienna blinked, staring past him in the other direction. She pointed, a look of absolute terror in her eyes.

He turned and saw an Arkheonite headed straight for them, approaching stealthily on all fours. The Doctor looked quickly toward the TARDIS, The creature was nearing the alcove and he knew they'd never unlock the door and make it inside in time.

He looked back at the mutant, gnashing its teeth, its orange eyes displaying no trace of the civilized beings that once lived on this planet.

The Doctor dropped the space helmet and shed the breathing apparatus pack from his back. He grabbed Sienna by the hand and yelled " _Run!_ "

They took off down the corridor in the same direction the armed guards had been headed. At the very end, the corridor split. The Doctor took a guess and pulled Sienna by the hand down the passage to the right. Up ahead he could see a door, not quite closed all the way. He glanced back and saw the creature hadn't turned the corner just yet. Unsurprising since the Arkheonites weren't the swiftest predators in the universe.

When they got to the door, he yanked it open and pushed Sienna inside. He joined her and closed the door behind them.

They found themselves in a cramped utility space at the entrance to a maintenance tunnel. The Doctor was overheated from the run and quickly shed his radiation suit. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling immediately better in his regular clothes.

"What now?" Sienna whispered, out of breath. The Doctor indicated the pitch black maintenance tunnel.

Sienna groaned. "I had a terrible feeling you might say that."

"Trust me." he whispered. "I have a plan." He looked into her eyes reassuringly in the dim room and she nodded.

He took her hand once more and led her into the dark shaft. The tunnel was big enough so that she didn't even need to bend to enter, though he had to stoop slightly.

They continued forward through the perfect darkness not speaking, Sienna's breathing shaky from fear, their footfalls echoing softly. They both turned, Sienna gasping when they heard the creature wrench open the door to the utility space. After a moment, they could hear that it was behind them in the tunnel, plodding along, snuffling and snarling like a rabid dog.

"Doctor," Sienna whispered, sounding near tears, "does this plan of yours involve being trapped in a creepy tunnel and then eaten alive by fucking Marmaduke back there?"

"Nearly there now." he whispered back, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. Everything will be just fine."

She scoffed at that. "You better know what you're doing."

A bit of light appeared ahead and as they neared it, the Doctor could see a smaller tunnel leading off to the left. The distinct sound of hydraulics could now be heard and grew louder as they neared the small tunnel.

The Doctor chanced a look back and realized the Arkheonite was much closer than he thought. They'd reached the tunnel.

"In here! Crawl quickly as you can." He pushed Sienna toward the tunnel and climbed in behind her. Part of him hoped the tunnel would be too small for the ferocious mutant but no such luck. It was soon crawling through behind them, the area was so tight that every breath it took sounded loudly in their ears.

"Doctor where the hell are we going?" Sienna sounded panicked as she pulled herself through the dark, narrow passage. The whining of a hydraulic pump echoed through the tunnel and now the sound of distant rushing water could be heard.

"Just keep heading straight until you reach the end." he told her calmly.

" _What the hell do you mean_ _the end?_ " she shrieked, stopping short.

"Keep moving!" he told her, no longer quite so calm. He could practically feel the Arkheonite breathing on him.

When she didn't move after a few moments, he smacked her right on the bottom and shouted " _Move it now!"_

She started forward again, now muttering every curse word he'd ever heard at him, and even some new ones. He had to credit her with originality.

Suddenly she yelped. "There's a drop off here! A-a-and it sounds like water down below."

He sighed, knowing she wasn't going to like this part. "Jump." He instructed her.

" _What!?_ " she replied.

"Sienna, either jump or your good friend Marmaduke here will have you for dessert once he's through eating me." he informed her matter-of-factly

"Oh goddammit, why didn't I just go back to rehab?" she groaned. Then she took a deep breath and dove off into the darkness.

* * *

Sienna dropped off the edge of the tunnel and after a fall that sent her stomach to the top of her throat, plunged deeply into a body of water. She was dimly aware of a second splash when the Doctor dropped in right after her.

She struggled to break the surface and when she did, coughed and spat, hoping to god this wasn't some damn alien sewer. She looked around realizing there was at least some dim light here. And fortunately, the water looked relatively clear.

The Doctor popped up right beside her. "Are you alright?" he shouted over the roar of the water and the pumping machinery.

"Just peachy. Where the hell's Marmaduke?" she shouted back, looking all around them. The thought of the creature appearing and pulling her back under had her panicking again.

"One thing about Arkheonites is that they can't swim." The Doctor shouted.

Suddenly there was a third splash as the mutant fell and hit the water. It sank like a stone.

"The other thing about Arkheonites is they're not terribly bright. They don't know they can't swim." he grinned at her somewhat smugly and began to swim down stream. She trod water for a moment, shaking her head in disbelief before paddling after him.

"Where are we exactly?" she asked when the sound of machinery had faded behind them somewhat. From what she could see, a large sluiceway was directly behind them not far from the tunnel from which they'd fallen. They appeared to be underground, the stone walls on either side of them straight and flat with no lower edge or shelf to pull one self up out of the water.

"It's a subterranean canal. It runs between Colony 5 and Colony 4 bases." He explained. "Are you getting tired? There should be a ladder just up ahead that will take us to a maintenance tunnel in Colony 4 Base."

"Tired?" she asked, exasperated. "I'm pretty sure there's enough adrenaline in me right now that I could swim across the Atlantic Ocean with no problem."

"There!" The Doctor said suddenly, pointing to a ladder attached to the stone wall that climbed all the way up to a hatch. Sienna followed it upwards with her eyes. It was the tallest ladder she'd ever seen. She made a small noise in her throat. _Seriously?_

"You'll be fine." he encouraged. "You first. I'll be right behind you."

She started up nervously. Then stopped, clinging to the rungs, looking back down at him with narrowed eyes. "If you smack me on the ass again, there's every chance I won't be able to keep myself from kicking you in the face."

The Doctor stifled a laugh. "Fair warning."

Suddenly, she heard whispering behind them and sensed a disturbance in the air. Sienna turned quickly to look. There on the surface of the canal was a nearly transparent boat being paddled by two nearly transparent men. Sienna just stared in wonder. The boat floated on past the ladder lazily. Only bits of the conversation between the two apparitions could be heard and they paid neither her or the Doctor any mind.

"Ok. That's totally normal." she said flatly.

"Well, you got your wish. You got to see for yourself why they call this the Planet of Ghosts." He grinned up at her.

She turned and headed up the ladder, making an extra special effort not to stomp on his face as she went.

 _Back in the TARDIS_

She was shivering when they finally reached the console room and he closed the doors behind them. They were both still soaking wet and Sienna needed a hot bath and hot coffee and to not see the Doctor's face for a few hours.

He aimed her down the corridor and pointed to a door she hadn't noticed before. "I think you'll find exactly what you need right through there."

She started toward the closed door, curious. Then stopped, slapped herself on the forehead. "Doctor! The Temporal Meter! Did it get ruined in the canal?"

For a second he looked panicked, patting the pockets of his drenched trousers. Then a smile appeared on his face. "I'll be back in just a moment. I left my radiation suit in that utility space. The Meter was in my radiation suit." He strolled off looking rather pleased with himself.

She grunted and headed toward the mystery door. She opened it to find a completely different bedroom from the one she'd slept in the night before. And it was _amazing._

This room had a more modern feel with a silver metal framed bed and matching metal tables and lamps. The comforter was black and red with matching pillows. The floor was wood with a black and red area rug. There was a silver metal wardrobe full of cute clothes just her style and size and a silver metal book shelf full of true crime books and Stephen King novels. It was like the room had been made with her in mind. There was also an attached bathroom with a huge clawfoot bathtub.

She didn't know how he'd managed this but at the moment she was so grateful, she could almost forgive him for nearly getting her eaten by a savage mutant.


	11. Chapter 11

_TARDIS, Console Room_

Once the Doctor had retrieved his Temporal Meter, he'd left Arkheon behind and returned the TARDIS to Kirkmore near the grocery store where he'd picked up Sienna. After finding dry clothes and fixing himself a cup of tea, he headed back to the control room. Sienna still hadn't emerged from her room. He figured she could probably do with a little alone time after all the excitement they'd had that morning. Anyway, he had a bit of research he wanted to do, plus the TARDIS needed to analyze the data he'd collected from the Arkheon Threshold.

He found the proper cord from a storage drawer and plugged the device into the data analyzer terminal on the console. While he waited for that process to be completed, he searched the TARDIS data-banks for information on anti-time explosive devices in relation to time fissures. Only two results returned.

He put his glasses on and studied the first entry. He found out quickly that it was merely discussing anti-time _theory_. While the article contended that, hypothetically, a localized explosion of anti-time could cause a weakness in spacetime in that area, there was no evidence to support the theory. He sighed and went on to the next entry. He found it to be even less helpful. It was a very old article dealing with early Gallifreyan law regarding anti-time exposure.

He tucked his glasses back into the pocket of his coat and thought about his small collection of textbooks from the Time Lord Academy. There must be something useful there. The Doctor checked on the Temporal Meter, saw the TARDIS was still busy analyzing things, then headed back to his library to find those old textbooks.

He hadn't expected to find Sienna there, lounging in one of the green velvet chairs, clearly engrossed in whatever book she was reading. He stood watching her from the entrance for a moment before making his presence known.

Her long brown hair was still damp from a shower, she was wearing glasses and dressed in ripped jeans and a t shirt for some rock band called Sleeping with Sirens. She was barefoot yet again, and he saw that her toenails were painted blue. The doctor wasn't sure why, but he found her terribly appealing just then. There was something about her, an innocence and a composure, that she managed to conceal most of the time with her tough talk and cynical outlook. He realized that when she wasn't busy being a brat, she was quite a beauty.

The Doctor had to physically shake himself. _That's incredibly inappropriate,_ he chastised himself, frankly surprised to find his mind going in that direction.

"Hey there Guardian Angel." she greeted casually, not even looking up from her book. "Anyone ever tell you it's impolite to stare?"

 _Marvelous._ He cleared his throat and walked completely into the room.

"What are you reading?" he asked, for lack of anything better to say. The Doctor found himself in the unfamiliar position of feeling quite flustered.

She marked her page with a finger and held the book up for him to see the cover. _East of Eden by John Steinbeck._

"You like the classics. That's very good." he nodded his approval.

Sienna sat up straight in the chair and tucked her legs under her. "Well, to be honest, not usually. Normally I like thrillers and true crime. The shelf in that bedroom actually had all kinds of good stuff but, I found this place exploring earlier and couldn't resist checking it out." She tapped the book in her lap. "This guy Silas I met in rehab had recommended this one, so when I saw it..." she shrugged, smiling up at him. "What are you up to?"

The Doctor was already browsing a shelf and quickly came across a section full of textbooks from back in the Academy. "Trying to see what I can find out about time fissures. Their causes and potential consequences."

He selected one and sat himself down at one of the round tables. He pretended not to notice when Sienna got up and joined him. And moved a chair over to sit right next to him. He read swiftly through the pages and finally came to a chapter that was of some use to him. He was just starting to make some headway when Sienna suddenly interrupted.

"Whoa. What kind of writing is that? It's just a bunch of circles and lines." She had placed her hand on his shoulder and was leaning out of her chair, her weight against him as she peeked at the pages. He turned and gave her a stern look which did not have its intended effect. She simply gave him a big smile in return, dimples and all and leaned ever closer. "So are we ever gonna talk about this celery on your coat?" she asked him softly. "Cause dude. That goes beyond quirky."

He rolled his eyes, grabbed his book and stood up, spilling her back into her chair. "Hey!" she protested.

"I like you much better when you're quiet." he informed her and exited the library.

When he reached the console, he was pleased to note that the TARDIS had completed the analysis. He returned his glasses to his face and tapped a few keys, peering at the screen. "Interesting." he murmured.

He was delighted with the results. Not only had the TARDIS gotten the information he'd wanted, she'd actually adapted and learned how to assess the conformal factors and temporal frequencies of a time fissure herself. He felt confident now that he was better equipped to deal with the situation in the woods.

The Doctor realized he had temporarily put his own quest on the back burner in order to resolve the problem in Sugar Creek. He felt like he had to finish something there in those woods that was begun by his counterpart from the other universe. After all, he had yet to receive any word from Karn on Peri's condition and he likely had several lifetimes before he had to confront events in the Malum Star System.

He suddenly noticed that there was rather loud music drifting from the corridor into the console room. It certainly didn't sound like the hard rock type of music that Sienna seemed to favor. In fact, it didn't sound like music from her timezone at all.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the Doctor headed toward the music's source. He strolled down the corridor and found the door to the skating rink standing open. That ridiculously gaudy room that the TARDIS had actually created for Peri. She loved zooming around the polished hardwood floor to songs from her era while colorful lights flashed and blinked. She had talked him into joining her skating on one occasion and though he was a natural at it, he felt ridiculous and declined any subsequent invitations. He narrowed his eyes. It hardly seemed the type of thing Sienna would be into.

The Doctor entered the dark room and found Sienna out on the floor skating backwards around the floor to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. She didn't notice him at first and he found it amusing how much she was getting into the song. Singing along and dancing a bit while she skated.

He walked up to the entrance of the skate floor and stood with his arms crossed. When she came around and was skating backwards away from him, she opened her eyes and spotted him. She grinned, showing her dimples and did a little finger wave at him. He chuckled and shook his head. He turned to leave her to her fun.

"Noooope." she called. He turned back in time to see her skate to a complete stop right at the edge of the skate floor. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Well, I still have some reading to-"

"Bullshit! Come on. One song?" she gave him the full benefit of her large brown eyes.

"No Sienna. Please, enjoy yourself. But it's really not my cup of tea." he smiled, hoping to let her down easy.

"Oh. I see." she said, suddenly serious. She nodded her understanding, looking at him with something akin to pity. "Hey. It's alright. I shouldn't have expected someone as old as you are to actually be able to skate." She gave him an innocent look and skated backwards away from him.

The Doctor was incredulous. And though fully aware she was just provoking him to get her way, he took the bait and shouted after her, "I'll have you know I skate very well. And furthermore, 800 in Time Lord years isn't considered the least bit old. I'm only in my fifth life span and we get thirteen."

When she skated past again, she turned in a circle effortlessly and waggled her eyebrows at him.

He made a sound of frustration and took his coat off, then headed over to find some skates.

* * *

Sienna hadn't really thought she could talk him into it, so she about fell over laughing when she saw he was joining her on the skate floor. He actually did skate remarkably well. He sped past her with a raised eyebrow. _A roller skating Time Lord. Hell yeah._

The next song was Whip It by Devo. _Real_ _ly?_ The next time the Doctor skated by she shouted, "Any chance I can change this playlist?"

He turned, skating backwards. "Ask the TARDIS." He grinned, turned a circle and skated off. He was so showing off for her. She giggled.

She cleared her throat and looked around the room, the disco lights spinning. "How about something slow?" she asked the ceiling, feeling ridiculous.

And just like that, a new song began. Still 80's, but Madonna this time. Crazy For You. Oh this was a good one.

 _Swayin room as the music starts_

 _strangers making the most of the dark_

 _two by two their bodies become one..._

The next time the Doctor skated by, she hooked her arm through his, forcing him to slow down. "It's a slow song." she pointed out. "You can't skate fast on a slow song." He looked at her, his brow furrowed but he slowed.

She stayed skating beside him, gradually unlinking her arm from his until she got a hold of his hand and laced their fingers together. He kept glancing down sideways at her like he thought she was up to something. She just grinned up at him.

 _You're so close but still a world away_

 _what I'm dyin to say_

 _is that I'm crazy for you_

 _touch me once and you'll know it's true..._

Sienna slowly turned so she was skating backwards in front of him and grabbed his other hand. She looked up at him seductively. She could tell from his body language that she was making him uneasy. Even if he was attracted to her (he obviously was), he didn't do this sort of thing. She wasn't exactly sure why his reluctance made him more attractive, but somehow it did.

She moved in on him, moved his hands to her waist, placed her hands against his chest. He didn't resist and she suddenly realized that his expression had changed. He was now studying her, squinting ever so slightly. They had actually stopped skating and were now standing near the edge of the skate floor.

She moved her hands up his chest until her arms were around his neck. He didn't move to stop her and still appeared to be appraising her, waiting to see what she'd do next. _Does he think I won't?_ she wondered indignantly, a bit unnerved by his scrutiny.

She stretched upwards and pulled his head down until her brown eyes were very nearly even with his blue ones. He met her gaze dead on. She moved her lips closer to his. He still didn't move. Didn't flinch. She hesitated. Then he moved his face almost imperceptibly closer to hers and she pulled her own face back quickly in alarm.

The Doctor stood up a bit straighter, a half smile now on his face. "Interesting." he remarked, now gently removing her arms from around his neck.

Sienna frowned, aware that something had shifted and that he now appeared to be feeling confident, while she felt completely unsure of herself. And she was also aware that he appeared to be making fun of her. She moved away from him, crossed her arms in front of her. "What's so interesting?" she demanded, starting to get angry.

The doctor sat on a bench near the skate floor and leaned down. "You." he asserted, unlacing his skates. "You only want to pursue me as long as I try to stop you." He put his own shoes back on. "You are only interested in trying to tempt me so long as you are sure I can't be tempted."

He sat up, smiling and raised his eyebrows at her. "Of all the creatures I've encountered throughout the cosmos, I think it's women I understand least of all." He looked rather cheerful about this for some reason. Which only made her madder.

He stood and grabbed his jacket. "I'll leave you to it here. I have a few more things I'd like to check on before heading back to the woods later."

He left her standing there alone, feeling discarded and embarrassed.


	12. Chapter 12

_The TARDIS Library_

The Doctor closed the textbook and pushed it away from him across the wooden library table. He sat thinking for a moment. The information he'd been reading about anti-time had him very troubled indeed. He had a terrible feeling that the time fissure was just a smaller symptom of a much larger problem. That the woods were a focal point of something more far reaching.

He rubbed his chin. He really needed to go back there but decided the safest way to do so was alone. He thought of what had happened with Jesse. He didn't want to endanger anyone else. Sienna was not going to like being left out of things but perhaps if he dropped her back with her mother and Jesse...

The Doctor stood and stretched. He'd been reading for well over an hour. He headed down the corridor toward the console room noting that the door to the skating rink was now closed, no music coming from inside. He peeked in to be sure. Completely dark.

When he passed Sienna's room, he rapped on the door. He was beginning to think he might have embarrassed her earlier in the skating rink so he wanted to make sure she was OK. No answer. He opened the door cautiously. Also completely dark. His brow furrowed. He entered the console room to find it empty as well. Now he was getting a little concerned.

He made his way back to the bedroom and flipped the light on. None of her things, her bag or her jacket were anywhere around. Not even her shoes which she never seemed to wear. In fact, it was like she'd never been here at all.

The Doctor returned to the console room and checked out the scanner. His view of the IGA lot showed that her car was no longer parked where it had been. He turned the scanner screen off by slapping a button. He had ran her off. He was sure of it. She had been embarrassed by him calling her out on her behavior and she'd left. _Well done Doctor. Instead of simply telling her no, you had to go and prove a point._

He dug in his coat pocket and came up with his mobile device. _1 Unread Message_. He selected it quickly thinking it might be Sienna.

 _This is Dayle. Checking in to see how Sienna's feeling. Let me know._

He shook his head, guilt flooding his chest. The Doctor didn't exactly wish to inform his new friend Dayle that her biological daughter had attempted to snog him while they were roller skating together and he'd responded by acting like a condescending ass.

Well clearly, he'd need to find Sienna. He wasn't sure how fragile her mental state was, having only just returned from rehab. He suspected she struggled with depression and he didn't know what effect this crazy day may have on her. That thought had him well and truly worried. She hadn't left a note or made a peep. She'd simply vanished.

The Doctor tried to come up with the right words in a text.

 _I am truly sorry if I've offended you. Is that why you left?_

 _I didn't mean to make you feel badly. Are you alright?_

Everything he thought of seemed ineffectual. He paced, aggravated. Anyway, what good were words over actions? It wasn't as if he could erase what he'd done by being sorry. He shook his head. He never had been very good with apologies.

The Doctor crossed his arms and leaned against the console thinking of the feisty young woman he'd met only just a couple days ago. How sad and lost she'd looked when he'd first met her in the clearing. How gentle she'd been with Gabe when she'd healed his split lip. Her sweetness when she comforted the Doctor himself when he was distraught over what had happened to Jesse in the woods. The fire in her eyes when she'd had just about enough on Arkheon. The look of concentration on her lovely face while reading Steinbeck. How much fun she'd been having skating around to 1980's music...

He sighed and sent a text.

 _I am terribly worried about you. Where have you gone?_

 _The TARDIS Console Room, Two Hours Later_

The Doctor had tried calling Sienna's phone, he had tried walking around the downtown area of Kirkmore. He'd gone to her parents' place of residence and her car was nowhere to be found. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder about that Chris chap who had put his hands on her before.

Finally he'd called Dayle and explained that Sienna had left upset and he was wondering if she'd heard anything from her.

"Man, you really pissed her off, didn't you?" Dayle asked, sounding slightly amused. "I'd sent a text inviting her to dinner and she replied saying she'd like to come as long as you aren't going to be there."

The Doctor felt an enormous sense of relief. "Well, it's good she contacted you. And you won't have to worry about me being around. I'm headed back to the woods right now. Preferably before it gets dark."

"Are you talking about the woods behind our building? Why the hell would you want to go out there? Fuckin creepy if you ask me."

The Doctor had a funny feeling starting in the pit of his stomach. "Well, yes. The woods we went to last night. The woods where those terrible things happened two years ago. With the other Doctor and the other Dayle."

Dayle laughed. "OK, I think you've spent a little too much time in space Doctor. Because I genuinely have no clue what you're talking about right now."

Now the Doctor was truly rattled. "Dayle, are you being straight with me right now? Are you telling me you honestly don't remember going into the woods last night? That you don't remember meeting the Doctor and yourself from a parallel universe?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. When Dayle spoke, she sounded slightly scared "Doctor, I really don't know what you mean. About the woods or parallel universes. Any of it. Should I...?

The Doctor sighed. It was just as he'd feared. The anti-time weapon that had been used in those woods two years ago had done more than simply erase the evil creature from time. There had been collateral damage to that area of the town and some amount of residual anti-time remained. Their visit to the site last night must have fractured what began as a small time fissure. And they had somehow released some temporal anomaly that was affecting events that had transpired in Dayle's past.

"Dayle, I don't want you to worry." he tried to reassure her. "You enjoy your evening with Sienna and forget what I've said. I...I had just gotten confused. That's all. Like you said, a bit too much time up in space."

Dayle chuckled, not sounding entirely convinced. "Well, OK. Get a hold of us sometime soon."

The Doctor figured the best plan at this point was to not push Dayle to remember anything. It would only panic her. Which meant Sienna needed to know not to say anything about any of it. He sighed and sent her another text.

 _When you see Dayle and Jesse, do not mention anything to them about the woods. Or the other Doctor or Dayle from the parallel universe. Something has happened to make them forget. It's complicated but I am working on it._

He didn't expect a response. She hadn't responded to his first text. Or answer any of his seven phone calls.

"Right. Back to the woods then." The Doctor set the spatial coordinates and dematerialized. He hoped that the new information that the TARDIS had acquired from the Arkheon Threshold data would help to form a clearer picture of what exactly he was dealing with. The TARDIS rematerialized and he checked the scanner out of habit, fully expecting to see the country road in the clearing. Only this time he'd rematerialized right in the middle of the scorched section of woods.

A terrible feeling overcame him. The TARDIS clearly concurred because the cloister bell suddenly sounded ominously. "Yes. I rather expect you'd feel that way. Something is wrong with time here. Frankly I'm surprised you were able to land here at all." He squinted at the scanner, feeling something was simply not right about this. "Jesse said the TARDIS _always_ landed on that country road. What's different now? How did we end up here?"

Suddenly a flash of electric energy seemed to cover the ground all around the outside of the TARDIS. The energy seemed to burn into the ground. It was like someone had poured an accelerant in a web pattern all around the ground and set fire to it.

"What is this? What the hell is happening here?" The Doctor moved to open the doors and the engines started back up of their own accord. That familiar wheezing sound filled the console room as the rotor ascended up the column. The TARDIS shuddered, very nearly knocking the Doctor off his feet. The engines made a stuttering sound and the cloister bell sounded yet again. He grabbed the console and took another look at the scanner. Inexplicably there appeared to be white flames consuming the woods all around the TARDIS. He tapped a few keys on the computer. Attempting to figure out exactly what was happening.

That's when he was hit once more with the crackling and the intrusion of temporal echoes in his mind.

 _This is where I crash landed when I came to be in this universe. And do you know why?_

 _You suck at flying spaceships?_

He shook his head trying to get rid of the voices. When he looked back at the scanner a great white flash of light seemed to fill the woods and the TARDIS jerked and shuddered and the cloister bell bonged. Sparks flew from the rotor. He hung on to the console for dear life.

And then everything instantly stopped. He looked up at the scanner and then at the instrument panel and couldn't quite understand what he was seeing. The TARDIS had moved. Yet it hadn't.

The Doctor pulled his glasses out and examined the indicators, then looked back to the scanner. He scratched his head. He had not moved one inch in space or one second in time yet suddenly, his TARDIS was in the parking lot of what looked like a large hospital or medical center.

* * *

After the incident in the skating rink, Sienna had been too upset to even look at him again. She grabbed her things and headed right out the door of the TARDIS. Fortunately, she found herself right back at the store where he'd picked her up.

"All the better." she murmured, on the verge of tears. She climbed in her car feeling like an idiot. He had spoken down to her. Had treated her like a silly kid who had no clue what she was doing.

He was right about one thing. She had felt safe pursuing him _because_ he had continued to push her away. She felt in control. The second he had moved his lips just that much closer to hers, she had been engulfed in panic. Which was odd because, she had been with her share of men of all ages. Had never been nervous or shied away from getting physical. But the thought of the Doctor kissing her? It was just like the feeling of looking back to the shore and realizing you'd swam much further out than you'd meant to.

And he had just smiled cheerfully. Like it was some great joke to him. Real fucking cute.

She wiped her eyes and started her car. At least Chris had seen fit to remove his carcass from the parking lot before they'd returned. She had no intention of running into him again so she needed to work out a plan. Just then she heard her phone _blip blip._

She pulled it out and found a text from Dayle.

 _Hey sweetheart. I hope you're feeling better. Would you like to have dinner with us tonight at 6? Jesse is a great cook!_

She smiled a small smile then, feeling better. Feeling loved. She replied.

 _In fact I would. But only on the condition that the Doctor is nowhere around. He's a dick._

She received an immediate reply.

 _LOL I look forward to it. And I'll make sure there are no Time Lords present._

Sienna nodded and pointed her car toward Sugar Creek. It was a few hours yet til 6 but she stood a better chance of avoiding Chris in a different town. Besides, she could visit Sugar Creek's beautiful historic library. She hadn't been since she was small. And maybe she could find a copy of East of Eden and continue her reading.

By the time she'd pulled into the library's lot, her phone went _blip blip_ again.

A text from the Doctor.

 _I am terribly worried about you. Where have you gone?_

She felt a mixture of anger and sadness and just a hint of elation that he clearly cared about her. Ugh. Crushes were such bullshit. She wasn't answering. He could just worry for a little while.

 _Dayle and Jesse's Apartment Building, 5:50 p.m._

Sienna pulled into the lot and parked right next to Jesse's silver Audi. She checked her hair in the mirror then grabbed her phone from the cup holder. She had been ignoring it ever since she'd read that text from the Doctor. Now she saw there were seven missed calls from him and another text. The text made her a little confused and a little concerned.

 _When you see Dayle and Jesse, do not mention anything to them about the woods. Or the other Doctor or Dayle from the parallel universe. Something has happened to make them forget. It's complicated but I am working on it._

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked out loud. She very nearly called him to ask for more information but her stubbornness won out. Maybe she'd text him later tonight or something. But she was determined to enjoy dinner with Dayle and Jesse and to think about him as little as possible.

As soon as she stepped outside of her Chevy Cruze and closed the door, the familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing swept across the lot. She turned and saw a disturbance in the air and the trees and bushes near the dumpster were blown around despite there being no breeze. The blue box appeared right in the spot where she always used to park, sitting in the lot late at night.

 _Seriously?_ She sighed. She had specifically asked Dayle _not_ to invite him. Well, maybe he just showed up unannounced. Probably got all butt-hurt because she wasn't answering him. She stood with her arms crossed, waiting for the Time Lord to emerge so she could tell him to piss off.

After a few moments, the doors squeaked open and a complete stranger stepped out onto the lot. She blinked. A stranger wearing tweed and a bow tie. Sienna stood frozen in place. Utterly speechless.

He approached and looked down at her curiously. "Hi there. Are you OK...?" He gave her a moment and she still couldn't find her voice. "Do you speak?" he wondered, looking concerned.

She snapped out of it. "Who the fuck are you?" she demanded.

"Well, I certainly recognize your face. And if the swearing is any indicator, I know just who your mum is." He grinned and stepped forward, offering his hand. "Hello. I'm the Doctor."


	13. Chapter 13

_Burgess County Medical Center, Universe A_

The Doctor remained in the control room to run some diagnostics before venturing outside. He had a sinking feeling he might know what had happened, but he could barely believe it.

He rubbed a hand down his face as he awaited results from the TARDIS computer. "Come on Old Girl. Tell me this isn't what I think it might be."

The computer beeped and he peered at the screen. _How extraordinary._ He shook his head. Somehow, some way, the TARDIS had slipped through the fracture in space time and had rematerialized in a parallel universe. He sat down heavily in a chair near the console.

Suddenly he heard a knocking on the TARDIS door. His hearts leapt into his throat and he jumped back to his feet. He had no idea who or what might be out there. That was the trouble with alternate universes. You never quite know what you're going to get.

He checked the scanner and became even more incredulous. Somehow, it was Dayle. The Doctor was so out of sorts, he didn't take a moment to consider that this might not be the Dayle he knew at all. He just opened the TARDIS door and declared, "Am I glad to see you."

The apparent disappointment she felt when she saw who answered the door was palpable. The woman looked practically heart broken. And then, in the next breath, extremely confused.

"Uhhh. Who the fuck are you?" she demanded, hands on hips. She was dressed in colorful hospital scrubs, her hair pulled up into a curly pony tail.

He blinked. So, this clearly wasn't the Dayle of his universe. Yet... she didn't seem the least bit surprised to see the expansive control room and she looked very much like she'd expected someone other than himself to answer the door. The door of a blue police box that had appeared in the parking lot of a hospital. _Hmm._

He crossed his arms, finally getting it. "Dayle A, I presume?" The look of surprised recognition at the nickname was answer enough. He turned and gestured inside. "Do come in. I'll try my best to explain. Suffice it to say, I _am_ the Doctor, but clearly not the one you were expecting." He closed the door behind her and put his hands into his pockets. Leaned against the console and cleared his throat.

She walked around the control room looking perplexed. She pointed at the console, then the walls. "What the hell happened in here?" She put her hand to her head, her eyes narrowed.

He rolled his eyes ceilingward. "Yes, I am well aware that my TARDIS is not nearly as impressive as the TARDIS you are apparently used to. Yes, it is quite basic and quite white." He crossed his arms, feeling offended all over again. Could he help it if in future regenerations he'd become such a show off?

She walked toward him, peering into his eyes suspiciously. "So... how? How are you the Doctor?" She gasped suddenly, her face looking stricken. "It's that regeneration thing he talked about, isn't it? _"_ She put her hands to her face, her eyes filling with tears.

He was quick to disabuse her of the notion that had clearly entered her mind. "No no. It isn't like that. I'm not a newer version of your Doctor." His brow furrowed and he peered down at her disapprovingly. "I'm quite sure I would remember all _that_." he said a bit more sternly. _Seriously?_ he thought again. _In the TARDIS?_

She gave him a curious look but didn't press him for clarification on that comment. "So, you're saying you're a past version of him?" She crossed her arms, looking a bit more at ease. Obviously the woman had seen her share of strange. She barely batted an eye at the thought of a past version of him.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, well. Not exactly. You see, I am... well..." he stammered and struggled to find the right words. Finally he settled for "I am the Doctor B, I suppose."

Her eyes got huge. "Oh _no way!"_ She walked all around him, looking him up and down, somewhat impressed. "You're the _other_ Doctor? Fuckin A!" She grinned. "So where's the other you? My Doctor? Does he know about this?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Well, no. It's quite a long story actually. Perhaps you'd like to join me for tea?"

She shrugged her agreement and followed him into the corridor.

 _The TARDIS Kitchen, An Hour Later_

Dayle sat back, her arms folded behind her head, her eyes troubled.

"So..." She blew out a big breath. "You're saying that in your universe, you will supposedly some day commit genocide by playing with that stellar manipulator thing and causing a neutron star collision. And that the woods behind Dayle B's apartment building are haunted." She made a convinced face. "Seems legit."

"And you are 100% certain that here, in this universe, that black hole was caused in 2012 by a rogue Zygon using that very same device?" he peered at her over his tea.

She nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. And then the Doctor and I created the wormhole when I helped pull him back to this universe telepathically."

"Interesting." he murmured, his gaze now curious. He scooted toward her slightly in his chair and held his hands up and gestured toward her forehead.. "Do you mind if I...?"

She smirked and scooted closer. "Go for it."

He placed his fingertips against her temples and closed his eyes. He could tell immediately that she was trying hard to show him only what she wanted him to see.

He saw the telepathic contact she'd had with the other Doctor, their trip through the wormhole, and all that happened in the woods. She projected the facts to him, but seemed to leave out anything too personal (much to his relief). One thing she couldn't hide was how devastated she'd been when the other Doctor had been killed (albeit temporarily) by the Tregannon. How much she clearly had loved him. And still did.

He pulled his hands away, blinking. "Yes. Well. Hmm." He hoped she didn't feel violated by him seeing into her heart like that.

She looked down at her hands. Then back up with a sly smile. "So tell me Doctor B. Who is Sienna?"

The Doctor practically choked on his own tongue. He had most certainly not expected that. "W-w-why do you ask?" He attempted to keep his face impassive.

She reached over without warning and took his hand. "Well, it's the name that you're thinking the loudest. And you feel ashamed that you like her..." She was clearly having fun with this. "Oh my. And she almost kissed you and you _definitely_ wanted her to." He struggled to pull his hand away but was too late.

Her eyes got huge and she let go of his hand, looking disgusted. "Sienna. Sienna is Dayle B's kid?" She stood up fast, overturning her chair. "Sienna. As in, the parallel universe version of _my daughter_ Savannah? Dude. She's 23 years old. And you're what, like _a thousand?_ You old perv! _"_ She had her hands on her hips, standing over him, her blue gray eyes blazing. He found he was actually quite scared of her.

He stammered quickly "It isn't like that at all. It's not what you think. I don't get up to... what you are insinuating." He was holding his hands up defensively, trying to convince her. "She just has a crush. That's all. I have not taken advantage of that. I don't do... that sort of thing."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Then she touched her hand to his shoulder and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had calmed down. She'd obviously been reassured by whatever she saw in his mind.

She scratched her head, straightened her scrubs top. "I'm sorry for that." she mumbled. "Motherly instinct." She laughed and picked up the overturned chair. "I'm not even _her_ mother." She sat again and peered at him, mystified. "Sooo. You've really never...?"

The Doctor had found a very interesting spot on the floor, and was growing quite red.

"And you don't ever... _Never_?" She looked nearly disturbed at the prospect.

He cleared his throat, willing her to move on.

"Well, you are most certainly _not_ like the Doctor that I know." She took her cup to the sink, looked back at him with a dirty little smile. "Because _he_ most definitely _does_ do that sort of thing."

* * *

 _Dayle and Jesse's Apartment Building, Universe B_

"What the hell do you mean, you're the Doctor? I'm pretty sure..." Her eyes widened then and she covered her mouth with one hand. "Wait a second. Are you him? Are you the Doctor from the other universe?"

He opened his mouth to answer and she immediately interrupted him. "But no. That can't be right. He said the wormhole was closed." She was pacing slightly in the lot, trying to decide what to do.

He cleared his throat. "Well you see-" "But how do you have his TARDIS if you aren't him?" she interrupted him once more.

The man wearing the bow tie crossed his arms and just watched her.

"This is insane. I suppose I should send him a text to verify..." she looked at her phone and shook her head, torn. "Man. But I'm not even speaking to him right now." She stopped and took a breath.

He finally managed to jump in. "Oi! If you're quite finished having an entire conversation by yourself I wouldn't mind havin a go." He straightened his bow tie and murmured "I liked you much better when you were quiet."

Sienna blushed, realizing that her Doctor had said practically the same thing to her in the library earlier. She shut her mouth and gestured for him to continue.

"Now." He clapped his hands together. "Who exactly is this 'him' to which you keep referring?"

Sienna blinked. "Well, the Doctor of course."

Now he looked puzzled. "The Doctor. And which Doctor would that be...?"

"The uh... Time Lord one. That has a blue police box just like that." She pointed at the TARDIS that had recently materialized.

He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah? What's he like?"

Sienna shrugged. "Well, I mean he's blonde and actually pretty hot. Has a major superiority complex though. Throws one hell of a right hook. Wears really stupid pants. And he's got celery on his lapel." She thought a moment more. "Cool hat though." she allowed.

He stared in open mouthed amazement. "And just how in the hell did he get here?" He put his hands on his hips indignantly.

"Oh... did I mention. He's sorta from _this_ universe" Sienna pointed out quietly.

The Doctor's eyes suddenly got huge. He smiled and looked like an excited kid. "Ohhhh. An alternate universe Doctor. That is brilliant!" He rubbed his hands together. "Has Dayle B met him?" he looked at her expectantly.

Sienna could only laugh. This guy was a fuckin trip. "Yes. She has. Aaaand. That's something else I should tell you about." She pulled a face, and got her phone back out, pulled up the Doctor's last text and reluctantly handed it over.

He read the text, his expression growing more concerned as he went. "What's he mean 'something happened to make them forget?' What sort of rubbish is that?"

Sienna noticed it was growing dark and checked the time on her phone. "Look, we have a lot of stuff to talk about and obviously, we're going to have to find other you. But, I'm supposed to be upstairs having dinner with my m- with Dayle and Jesse."

"Lovely! They'll be ecstatic to see me." He snapped his fingers and the doors to the TARDIS doors somehow squeaked shut. He put his arm around Sienna and pulled her along into the apartment lobby.

Sienna allowed herself to be swept along right into the elevator before she voiced her protest. "But uh... D-d-doctor... I don't think that's such a good idea. The real Doctor, I mean, _my_ Doctor must've told me not to mention you all for a reason..."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm only here because Dayle B invited me." He grinned and pressed the button for the sixth floor.

Sienna looked at him like he'd grown a second head. " _Invited you?_ You're from a different universe. How the hell could she have invited you."

He reached into the pocket of his tweed coat and produced a fancy looking cell phone. He navigated to his text messages, then handed it over to her, clearly feeling vindicated.

Sienna was staring at a text from a contact called 'Dayle B'. It said simply,

 _Lord of Time, you are needed back on my side of the street, pronto!_

Sienna looked at him and blinked. "Seriously? All she had to do was text you? It was that simple."

He took his phone back looking so smug she kinda wanted to kick him in the shin. The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the sixth floor.

They headed down the hall, Sienna still confused. "But I don't get it. The Doctor said the wormhole was closed."

The Doctor's grin widened and if at all possible, he grew more smug. "Yes it has." he agreed.

They'd reached Dayle's door and she knocked, her patience completely gone. "So!? How did you get here!?"

He straightened his bow tie and fussed with his hair. "I have a time machine of course. I went back in time in my universe to before the wormhole collapsed. Then jumped forward in time in this universe."

She didn't even have a response to that. It was just as well because the door was suddenly opened by Jesse. He greeted her with a warm smile, glancing from her to the Doctor and back again. "Hey Sienna. Who's your friend?"

The Doctor and Sienna looked at each other. His expression was one of absolute disbelief. Hers was more 'I told you so'.


	14. Chapter 14

_Burgess County Medical Center, Universe A_

The Doctor and Dayle stood in the parking lot of the hospital where she worked. He had his Temporal Meter out and was taking readings.

"So you're quite sure this is the exact spot where the woods are in the other universe?" he asked, turning in circles slowly.

Dayle nodded. "Yep. They knocked down the woods and built this mess back in the sixties in this universe. Perhaps the land developer in the other universe couldn't get the zoning approval." she added dryly.

He smacked the device against his hand, then shook his head, perplexed. "It's like nothing was ever here." He made a most uncharacteristic sound of frustration. "There's no sign of the blasted time fissure in this universe."

Dayle looked from side to side. "So, what's that mean?"

He took a deep breath. "It means there's a good chance I'll be stuck here in this universe. That I'll never get home." He threw his hands up and stepped away from her. How _ridiculous_ this was.

"Wait, what about the wormhole? Why wouldn't you be able to go back that way?" Dayle wondered, following after him.

He turned and leveled a grim look at her, hands in coat pockets. "It's collapsed." He'd reached a stone bench on the sidewalk and he sat, feeling utterly lost.

"Aww shit." She shook her head in disbelief.

Dayle just looked at him with sympathy in her eyes for a moment, then she walked over and sat beside him. She clapped him on the back encouragingly and smiled, showing dimples. "Brave hearts Doctor. We'll find a way to get you home."

He looked sideways at her, a smile playing at his lips despite the hopeless situation he'd found himself in. The Doctor looked at the blonde woman, his eyes full of gratitude and nodded. "I understand you're quite good at that sort of thing."

 _Back in the TARDIS, Thirty Minutes Later_

They were sitting side by side in the console room. They had talked a bit more about the time fissure. He told her all about how Dayle B and Jesse had forgotten the woods and the parallel universe. That he was very worried what else might have been affected in that universe.

"So all that... that was caused by what _we_ did two years ago?" Her face looked haunted by guilt and he rushed to reassure her.

"Well clearly none of you had any way of knowing the consequences of using the anti-time sphere. And from my understanding, they are supposed to be designed to not cause this sort of problem. Their effect is supposed to be localized. Unfortunately, for some reason, in this instance there were further reaching repercussions."

Dayle still looked troubled. "We just didn't know what else to do. That thing... that thing was horrible." She shuddered. "It would have killed me. It nearly succeeded at killing the Doctor." She paused. "I still don't regret using that device. Because it brought him back." She nodded, looking certain, then looked up at him. "But I will do whatever I can to help put things right in your universe."

He smiled, believing her. "So, I suppose you have to be heading home for now?" he asked.

She looked at her phone, stood and stretched. "My shift just ended. Vannah already took Ember to her girl scouts sleepover." She shrugged. "I'm all yours Time Lo-." She stopped herself and looked deeply unsettled. "Dude. No way. Can't be calling you that."

He looked at her, confused.

She sighed and rolled her eyes at herself. "It's what I called _him,_ OK? Time Lord. Like, my little pet name for him or whatever."

After a brief silence, curiosity finally got the better of him. "Have you seen him again? Since returning to this universe?"

She looked at him with the strangest mixture of sadness and joy. "No but I never expected to. I love him and he loves me. But... we can't be together. It is what it is."

He studied her. "But you've moved on, right? You've not given up on finding someone who could really make you happy?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes for a moment, and when she did, she looked embarrassed. She seemed to struggle with her answer, then simply admitted, "I can't."

Her eyes were shiny with tears but the Doctor knew from being inside her mind that she didn't feel sorry for herself. That this pain was the sort of thing she only took out and dusted off on occasion. And that she simply accepted it as a wound that could never heal.

Dayle excused herself to the restroom. He watched after her. No, Dayle would never feel sorry for herself. But his hearts felt true sorrow for her because he knew she had given her heart away to some selfish fool in a blue police box. And that despite her resolve to be OK with it, there was a hole in her life that nobody else could fill. He clenched his jaw, feeling well and truly angry at that other Doctor suddenly.

He couldn't understand how he had allowed it to happen. How the other Doctor had so carelessly gotten _that_ close to a human companion. This was why. This was why he never did that sort of thing. This was the kind of scar it could leave.

The Doctor had practically made a career out of leaving collateral damage in his wake. He always meant well. He always did what he thought best. But people often got hurt. People even died. And all he could do was stick by the promise he had made to himself so long ago. Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up, never give in.

Sienna's face suddenly popped into his mind. Sienna stretching up to kiss him. His hands settled into the curves at her waist. Their lips very nearly touching. The moment she realized he wasn't going to stop her. He sighed and simply brushed those thoughts away. In his estimation, falling in love with someone you knew you could never be with, and letting them fall in love with you in return, was about as cruel and cowardly as you could get.

* * *

 _Dayle and Jesse's Apartment, Universe B_

As they entered the apartment, Dayle walked out of the kitchen carrying a salad to set on the table. She spotted the Doctor and squinted her eyes, curious.

"Hi." She walked over, offering her hand to him. "And you are...?" His brow was furrowed, his face looked stricken.

Sienna could tell he was terribly offended that he had genuinely been forgotten by his good friend. "You can call me the Doctor." he told Dayle huffily.

Sienna quickly interceded. "This is my friend... that I'm... d-dating. Donald." _Donald? Where the fuck did that come from?_

She could see from the look he gave her, he was thinking pretty much the same thing.

Dayle looked slightly puzzled. "Donald? Uh. Nice to meet you." The Doctor finally shook the hand she'd offered, still not looking very happy.

"The pleasure is mine." he grumbled.

Jesse had disappeared into the bedroom and returned carrying a sleepy looking Gabe. Sienna couldn't help but be drawn over. "Hey Gabe." she cooed, stroking his soft cheek. He gave her a big happy grin and her heart swelled. This kid.

Dayle still hovered near the Doctor, suspiciously protective in a way only a mother can be. "So... Donald. How exactly did you and Sienna meet?"

Sienna had accepted Jesse's offer to hold Gabe and quickly returned to the Doctor's side with the baby to run interference.

"Well... we met at the library." she said quickly. The Doctor was still sulking, no help at all.

Dayle crossed her arms, definitely not believing that. "Donald. Why don't you help Jesse with the table. I need to speak to Sienna in private." Dayle tugged on Sienna's arm and pulled her a little roughly into the bedroom.

"Who the hell is this guy?" she demanded.

Sienna was somewhat surprised at her tone. Immediately feeling a bit indignant. "Hey now. Who the hell are you to..."

"Your _drug dealer?_ " Dayle spat. "You bring your drug dealer to my home?"

Sienna's anger immediately disappeared and she had to struggle not to crack up. "Um... he's most definitely _not_ my drug dealer."

Dayle looked at her with narrowed eyes. "The _Doctor?_ That's what he told me to call him. And he's acting all moody and bullshit with me." Dayle sighed and shook her head. "And I'm sorry. The bow tie. Dude has to be high on something."

At this point, Sienna was about to explode with laughter. She wanted so badly to tell Dayle the truth. Not just to put her mind at ease but because it was so goddamn hilarious. She took a deep breath, remembering her Doctor's text.

"Dayle." Sienna began earnestly, shifting Gabe to her other hip. "I assure you. Donald is _not_ a drug dealer. And he's definitely _not_ on drugs. He's a good guy. He truly is." She looked into Dayle's eyes. "Please trust me."

Dayle peered at her, now looking slightly ashamed for her assumption. "Well... okay. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. But... he's not the kind of guy I picture you with at all." She pulled a face. "He's odd, isn't he?"

Sienna nodded, still reining in her laughter. "He certainly is. But he's fun." She gave Gabe a kiss on the cheek and handed him over to Dayle. "And I'll have a talk with him about the grouchiness. He's had a tough day."

When she returned to the dining room, Jesse was talking to the Doctor in a very animated fashion. Jesse looked up when she walked in. "Hey Sienna. Your friend Don here is a total sci fi geek like me. He watches Bloo!" The Doctor smiled at her. Obviously using information he already had about Jesse to get on his good side.

"That's awesome!" she replied, then turned her attention to the Doctor. "Darling. Can I have a word? Out in the hall?"

The Doctor followed her out. "OK. You need to get out of your feelings, like now. Dayle thinks you're my damn drug dealer." She finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

He looked at her grumpily. "Now why did you go and say you're dating me? You look about sixteen years old!"

Sienna stopped laughing and glared. "Dude. I'm almost 24 and quite frankly I _look_ 24\. And you look maybe 30, tops. It was the first thing I could think of. Sorry." She crossed her arms. Man, these Doctors were some self-righteous asexual motherfuckers.

"Well, I'm not thirty. I'm over 1100 years old. And why on earth would your mother think you had a drug dealer anyway?" His hands were on his hips and he looked perplexed.

That one caught her off guard. Her face flushed and she looked down at her toes. When she brought her eyes back up to meet his, she saw only understanding and concern where she'd expected to see disapproval.

"I see." He said softly. He studied her. "Are you clean now?"

She laughed a humorless laugh. "For approximately 48 hours." She scratched the side of her face, feeling about two feet tall. "I just got out of a 28 day rehab program and couldn't even last a day."

He nodded. "Yet, here you are having gone two whole days without using." He raised his eyebrows, his eyes smiling. "I'd call that a step in the right direction, wouldn't you?"

His words surprisingly made her feel better. She shook her head, amazed.

"What is it?" he wondered.

She looked up, tears in her eyes, but also a bit of humor. "In twenty three years, I've never known a man to say the right thing. I meet two in one week and they're both fucking aliens."

He laughed, then said, "Well. Not _all_ aliens are that great. Just certain ones." He straightened his bow tie and escorted her back into the apartment, his arm around her shoulders.

The Doctor managed to be a bit more cheerful with Dayle after that and they actually got along quite well. After dinner, he asked if he could hold Gabe and Dayle agreed. He sat on the couch seemingly having an entire conversation with the little guy.

Sienna helped Dayle with dishes. They worked together silently for a while before Dayle asked her, "So what got you so mad at the Doctor earlier?"

Sienna rolled her eyes. "He was just being... a little condescending. That's all. We're fine though. I'll probably text him later to check in with him."

Dayle chuckled. "Well, when I told him what you'd said earlier about him not coming around, he said something really weird about how we didn't have to worry because he'd be going into the woods anyway."

Sienna dropped the pan she was holding and it clattered noisily against the floor. "He said what?"

After she'd picked up the pan and apologized for her clumsiness, she excused herself and stepped away with her phone. She couldn't believe he'd waited til she left and gone back to the woods without her.

She clenched her jaw and sent him a text.

 _Hey. Just because I'm pissed at you doesn't mean you can go and put yourself in danger. Are you in those damn woods? Alone!?_

She hit send and turned around, about jumping out of her skin when she saw the other Doctor standing right behind her holding Gabe. He looked a little troubled.

"What's wrong with you?" she wondered, sliding her phone into her back pocket.

"Sienna," he began. "is it true that you have the ability to _heal_ people with your touch?"

Her eyes got huge. She looked back toward the kitchen, confused. She assumed that if they didn't remember being in the woods, they couldn't remember what had happened with her healing Jesse.

"Who the hell told you that?" she hissed.

He looked at her like she was a bit slow. "Well Gabe did, obviously. He told me how you fixed his split lip just by touching it." Gabe was chewing on his fist, looking pretty oblivious to what was being discussed.

Sienna blinked at the Doctor. Cleared her throat. "How in the actual _fuck_ did a one year old who can barely say 'mama' tell you anything?"

He looked at her and in all seriousness informed her, "I speak baby." He looked down at Gabe who was making some adorable gargly, cooing sounds. The Doctor nodded at him, then looked back up at Sienna. "He thinks you're amazing and hopes you'd like to be his big sister."

Sienna genuinely didn't know what to say. "Uhhh... okaaay."

The Doctor cleared his throat and looked upwards. "He also says you swear far too much and that you should probably work on that."


	15. Chapter 15

_TARDIS Library, Universe A_

"So what's our next move Doctor?" Dayle wondered. She was seated in the same green velvet chair Sienna had sat in earlier that day.

The Doctor had returned to the library because something he'd read in one of his textbooks had been eating at him. He sat hunched over the table growing more and more troubled as he read. "A moment please." he murmured, flipping back a couple pages to check something. He sighed, removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"What's wrong?" she asked after a moment of silence.

He snapped the book shut and turned to her. "I think I've been looking at this situation in the woods all wrong. I've been so focused on the potential consequences of a time fissure, I wasn't thinking enough about the anti time itself." He rubbed his chin and looked off into space. "You know, for centuries, anti time was only a theory held by Time Lords. Practically only a legend. Said to bring chaos and destruction to all of causality."

Dayle leaned forward, toying with her curls. "So what can anti time do? And more directly, what do you think it's doing in your universe?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Anti time can erase people, civilizations, even entire timelines from the web of time. In doing so it has the potential to create alternate timelines. Alternate histories, alternate futures." The Doctor sighed. "And the most worrying thing of all is that anti time can linger. And I don't just mean in any one location." He gave her a meaningful look. "Anti time can infect people as well."

Dayle's eyes went wide. "Wait. Are you saying that this stuff may have gotten on us that night? Me, Jesse and the other Dayle? That we are _infected_ with it?"

The Doctor nodded gravely. "I intend to put together a device to detect anti time. To answer your question, that will be our next move. In addition to finding out how it may have affected you, I'm curious to see if any bled over into this universe in this location. Perhaps the answers may lead to a way back to my universe."

Just then the Doctor felt his mobile vibrate in his pocket. It came as a surprise because he hadn't considered that he might be able to receive a text from a different universe. He checked the message, puzzled.

 _Hey. Just because I'm pissed at you doesn't mean you can go and put yourself in danger. Are you in those damn woods? Alone!?_

Sienna. He was a little bothered at the relief he felt to be hearing from her. That she still cared enough to be worried about his well-being. He considered the best way to tell her that he had intended on going to the woods but had ended up a bit further away.

"So who the hell could be texting you? You have any other buddies in this universe?" Dayle looked at him curiously.

He sighed. "Apparently my mobile device is parallel universe friendly." He cleared his throat. "It's Sienna."

Dayle appraised him, her arms crossed. "And what does Sienna have to say." She didn't sound so hostile on the topic of Sienna now. Merely interested.

He showed her the text. Her eyebrows raised. "She sounds worried about you. And what exactly did you do to piss her off?"

He cleared his throat again, scratched his head. "Well, as you know, she tried to... to kiss me earlier today. It suddenly occurred to me that she was only so insistent on behaving that way toward me because she knew I'd stop her. So... I didn't try to stop her. And she froze, thus proving my theory. And I simply told her so."

Dayle put her face in her hand. "What is it with you Time Lords? You don't seem to get the basic nuance of human emotions. I would say that treating a young woman's interest in you as a scientific hypothesis probably didn't make her feel very good about herself. You embarrassed her."

He looked down at his hands and nodded. "Yes, I suppose I did. Though I hadn't intended to. I'd rather hoped it would make her realize she wasn't interested in me in that way after all."

Dayle peered at him, humor in her eyes. "You know. Though you look close to the same age physically, you seem much younger and more naïve than my Doctor. Do you really think that if she wasn't interested in you in that way she would have tried to kiss you? Do you really think she would have gotten so upset if she wasn't interested?"

He decided the questions she posed were rhetorical so he said nothing. He sighed and looked at Sienna's text again. He finally responded.

 _ _Something peculiar happened when I returned to the woods. It would seem I've wound up in a parallel universe. Strangely enough, the other Dayle we were told about is here with me. I must figure out how to get back. The fracture in space time I slipped through is not so easily discernible here.__

He hit send. Dayle stood and stretched. "I'm getting tired Doctor. Any place for a gal to rest?

Before he could respond, his phone vibrated. That was quick.

 _ _NO WAY. And you will not believe who is here with me...OTHER YOU!__

The Doctor jumped up from his seat, incredulous. "How...?" he began.

"Something the matter?" Dayle asked

He looked down at her, eyes wide. He shook his head, wanting to be certain this wasn't a misunderstanding. He replied.

 _Are you saying that the Doctor from this universe is there with you, now?_

A moment later the mobile vibrated again and this time there was a photo attachment. A selfie of Sienna smiling with an odd looking young man wearing a bow tie. He had his tongue out and was giving her bunny ears. _And Dayle thinks I seem younger?_ he thought somewhat indignantly.

"Doctor...?" Dayle was waiting for his response.

He made an exasperated sound and showed the photo to her.

"Oh my god! He's there with Sienna!? How did he get there?" She looked so thrilled to see him it actually made the Doctor smile despite himself.

"Let us ask, shall we?"

* * *

 _ _In the TARDIS, Universe B__

"Tell him that the wormhole collapsed sometime in July of 2016. So if he sets coordinates to the Malum system between late spring 2015 and early summer 2016, he should be able to slip right through." The Doctor was frenetic, talking a million miles a minute and pacing. "Of course when he gets to this side he'll have to jump forward in time to October 27, 2017."

Sienna stood blinking, her phone held to her ear. "I barely got any of that." She informed the hyper alien. "Would you like to speak to him?" She held the phone out.

He snatched it out of her hand. "Hello there Doctor from a different universe who is oddly enough now in my universe. So, what you'll want to do..."

The Doctor rattled off his instructions to the other Doctor while she walked around the control room taking it all in. Now, her Doctor's TARDIS was impressive and all, but this one was fucking amazing! So much more detailed and bizarre. She peered at the console, at all the strange contraptions and gadgets he used for controls. Just at first glance there looked to be a bicycle pump, an ancient typewriter, and an old school video game joystick. It was like he'd built the entire control deck out of junk from someone's garage.

The Doctor suddenly walked up and handed her phone back. "You still there?" She asked into it.

"Yes, well. From what I could gather from your friend's rapid fire approach, it seems I should be able to head back your way here shortly." he told her through the phone.

She sighed, surprised at the butterflies that had taken wing in her stomach at the thought of seeing him. Absolutely despicable, crushes. Particularly the one sided variety. "Ok, well be careful. Guess I'll see you soon."

"By the way, where exactly are you at the moment." he asked.

"I'm in the other Doctor's TARDIS. He has it cloaked, parked down in Dayle and Jesse's lot. After we had dinner with them, we just headed down here. By the way, his TARDIS is unbelievable! You should consider a redesign." she told him.

"Wait... _he_ joined you for dinner with Dayle and Jesse. How on earth did you explain him to them? Dayle probably thought he was off his rocker."

Sienna cracked up. "Not far from the truth. I just said his name was Donald and that we're dating."

There was a long silence on the other end at that bit of news. "Right. Well. I suppose I better be getting along. Dayle A here has opted to come along for the ride. I suspect Other Me won't object to giving her a ride home later."

Sienna rolled her eyes. "He's so excited to see her, he's practically bouncing off the walls. Like. Whoa dude. Is he in love with her or something? Do you Time Lords even _do_ love?"

The Doctor's tone changed. "Apparently some do." She noted disapproval and something else she couldn't quite place. When they hung up, she walked back over to the console where the Doctor was now ducking down rooting through a box of what looked like junk and spare parts.

She cleared her throat to make her presence known. He glanced up at her curiously, his face seemingly stuck in a perma-grin, his eyes lit up like Christmas trees. He looked like he was floating on cloud 9.

"So... you seem pretty damn thrilled to be seeing Dayle A again." she prompted.

"Yes, well. I suppose I am. You know, it's been two years since she's last seen me. It's been ten years since I've last seen her. Time. It's all relative." He continued rooting through the box cheerfully, pulling out random parts and objects.

"So... she's a good friend of yours? Dayle is?" she continued, hoping to get more out of him.

He stopped then, and looked up at her, suddenly quite serious. "Dayle is much more than that to me." he told her and then continued his treasure hunt.

Sienna actually gasped, though the Doctor was making way too much noise to hear her. _This Doctor is in totally in love with the other Dayle._ It was that obvious.

She narrowed her eyes. So clearly Time Lords had the capacity for such things. She just wondered about her Time Lord.

She decided to continue her interrogation. "So this regeneration thing. How does that work?"

"Well. Time Lords have the ability to regenerate every cell in our bodies when we are close to dying. We get twelve extra lives after our first one." his voice sounded muffled, his head practically beneath the console now.

"So the other Doctor, my Doctor. He said he's in his fifth life. What about you?"

"I'm eleven." he told her, now standing up with his arms full of odds and ends.

"So how much do you change? When you regenerate I mean. How close to the same man are you?"

He squinted, considering her question before dumping all the junk onto the console. "Face, body, mannerisms, personality quirks, they all change. But the fundamental character is a constant. In my hearts, I'm certainly the same man I was in my fifth life. Though I was a bit more of a snob when I was him." He smiled at her and went back to his project.

She chuckled at that. "Yes, he can be a bit of a pain in the ass. I just wonder... What does he think of humans?" She stumbled over the question, feeling foolish. "Does he like... is he...I don't know...attracted to women?"

The Doctor seemed to freeze and dropped what he was working on. He turned and looked at her with kind eyes. She could see that he'd gotten the hint and she felt like an embarrassed teenager who had just given away who her crush was. He pressed his hands together and told her gently "It's probably not a good idea to expect anything like that out of him. If I remember correctly, when I was him I was especially cautious of not letting myself think that way." He gave her a small smile and turned back to the console.

Sienna felt her heart sink brutally. Well at least now she knew. She turned and headed for one of the jump seats off the control deck.

She sat there feeling pretty lousy. The Doctor spoke again, his back still turned. "I'm quite sure he is aware you are a beautiful young lady. And you may even be a temptation to him. But he is... _I was_ much too afraid to pursue anything beyond friendship."

The TARDIS remained silent for a few minutes. She appreciated what he said. Finally she asked, "What exactly are you making there?"

He turned, looking excited and animated once more. "Ahh. I am working on a device that will help us determine what's gone wrong with Dayle and Jesse's timeline. Clearly something has happened to throw them off of it. I intend to see what we can do to fix things."

Suddenly, the familiar sound of a TARDIS materializing could be heard nearby. The Doctor and Sienna looked at each other.

"Could they be back already?" she wondered, her heart beating faster despite her rational mind trying to tell her to let it go.

"I certainly hope so. We definitely don't need a third Doctor showing up, now do we?" He ran around the console and appeared to be studying his reflection. He smoothed his hair back and straightened his coat and bow tie.

"How do I look?" he wondered, looking for all the world like a boy nervous about his very first date. "Do I look cool?"

She shook her head and grinned. "Very cool." she assured him.


	16. Chapter 16

_Dayle B and Jesse's Apartment Lot, Universe B_

Once they'd successfully rematerialized, the Doctor grabbed his hat and led the way to the door. He noticed that Dayle hung back and glanced her way.

"Is everything alright?" he wondered, concerned.

Dayle had showered and changed into a flattering casual dress. Her curly blonde hair was still slightly wet. She hadn't bothered with make up. She really didn't need it. She was a natural beauty.

She stood near the console, rooted to the spot. The look on her face was a little how Sienna looked right before she had vomited all over him. She attempted a smile but it looked a bit more frightened than joyful. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought I'd be happy to see him. But just now, I can't seem to put one foot in front of the other."

He studied her, feeling a little angry all over again. Wondering if bringing her was such a good idea after all. She didn't need this. "You don't have to come out." He told her firmly. "You can stay right here and relax. You could read, you could take a nap. There's even a television in Peri's room."

She looked at him like he'd done or said something heroic. "Are you so sweet in all of your lives I wonder?" She walked over to him, stood on tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. "You're being protective." She smiled for real now. "But me? I don't need protecting. And definitely not from him."

She took a deep breath and headed out the door. He followed, closing and locking the TARDIS behind them.

He looked around the dark lot, puzzled. Dayle seemed to be peering at an empty parking space near the dumpster. She walked right over and reached her hand out as if to knock. Inexplicably he heard a knocking sound and then an invisible door creaked open in thin air. The other Doctor peeked his head out, took one look at Dayle and seemed to forget how to speak.

He rolled his eyes. _Cloaked._ He'd forgotten Sienna had mentioned that. He stood waiting, giving them their moment.

"Hey there Time Lord." Dayle said softly.

After a long moment of stillness, the other Doctor suddenly yanked her by the hand into the TARDIS. She yelped, then cracked up laughing.

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes again. He followed them into the strange TARDIS, his eyes taking in the elaborate design. In his peripheral vision, he saw that the other Doctor had pressed Dayle against a wall and was kissing her in a way that he himself considered rather inappropriate in the company of others.

He spotted Sienna sitting casually in a jump seat up on the control deck. She was reading, or at least pretending to read. The Doctor headed her way, eager to put some space between him and all the action taking place near the entrance. "Hello Sienna." he greeted softly. He saw that she twitched at the sound of his voice but she didn't look up.

After a moment, she marked her place with a finger and looked up at him. "Hey there Blondie" she replied.

She stood and stretched, placing the book in the seat. The Doctor watched her. Her greeting had sounded friendly enough but he detected a change in her demeanor. A distance. And he hated how much it bothered him.

She noticed what the other Doctor and Dayle were up to for the first time and actually blushed. "Jesus. Get a room." she murmured, chuckling a little uncomfortably. Clearly he wasn't the only one who felt they were overdoing it a bit.

An awkward silence fell on the garish control room, broken only by the cringe inducing sounds of kissing. The Doctor put his face in his hands, shook his head. Sienna chewed on her bottom lip.

"Shall we... leave them alone for a bit maybe?" he asked finally. She nodded, looking eager to escape.

They walked right past the two oblivious love birds quickly and headed back to the comfort of his TARDIS.

Once inside they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my god! Can you believe those two? Like a couple of middle schoolers. Yuck!" Sienna exclaimed.

He shook his head, looking slightly troubled. "He must have been using his respiratory bypass system because he most certainly didn't come up for air."

"I have no idea what that means." She giggled. "So what do we do now? Give them an hour or two?" She looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

"I suspect five minutes would be sufficient." he muttered, not quite under his breath.

Sienna gasped, then burst out laughing. "Dude. That was a pretty dirty joke." she informed him, looking both astonished and a little impressed.

He grinned at her, happy to see that she had warmed up a bit toward him. "Would you like to have some tea...or would you rather just head to bed? It is actually a bit late. It would probably make sense to meet back up with the other two first thing in the morning."

"Man, I'm too wound up to even think of sleep right now. Did you know the other Doctor can speak _baby?_ And that he's the _eleventh_ of you Doctors? Did you know he can open and close the TARDIS doors just by snapping his fingers?"

He grinned. "Tea then."

Once in the kitchen, the Doctor allowed Sienna to talk first. She talked about the other TARDIS materializing and the odd guy who actually turned out to be very kind. She talked about Dayle and Jesse and how they had no idea who he was. She told him about the Doctor knowing about her healing gift after chatting with a fourteen month old. When she was done, the Doctor filled Sienna in on all that had transpired for him. He talked about anti-time and how he thought it was Dayle and Jesse's exposure to it that had changed the course of their timeline.

Sienna blew at her second cup of tea, perplexed. "So how is it that Dayle and Jesse remember _you_? Don't they connect your arrival with the woods? Don't they connect your very existence to anything that happened with the other Doctor?"

He shook his head. "It's because I arrived separate of all that came before. The part that they've lost revolves specifically around the experience they had with the other two. I'll definitely need to find out more. I plan to build an anti-time detector. To see how severe the infection might be."

"Infection?" Sienna shuddered. "Is that shit contagious?"

The Doctor smiled reassuringly. "Not a bit. But it is extraordinarily difficult to remedy."

She leaned forward. "You know, other you, hell, I'll just call him Eleven. Eleven mentioned something about a device he's putting together to detect issues in their timeline."

The Doctor made an appreciative face. "That's a splendid idea. He and I should definitely put our heads together tomorrow to solve this problem."

* * *

They'd finished their tea and neither seemed to have anything left to say. Yet they remained at the table, besieged by their unspoken thoughts. The silence was deafening.

After a moment, the Doctor said, "Sienna, about earlier today..."

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. _Oh, you mean when I made a complete ass of myself?_ she thought. _Yes, let's just discuss that at length._ She stayed quiet, looking at the table in front of her.

He continued. "I know I didn't handle that situation too well. And, well, I'm sorry." he studied her. She was blushing furiously and it was evident she did not wish to discuss the matter further. He cleared his throat. "Right, so... that's it. Just wanted to apologize."

He stood abruptly. "I think I'll be headed to the lab to look over a few things." When she didn't respond, he turned to go.

She couldn't seem to stop herself from saying softly, "I wasn't only pursuing you because I knew you'd stop me..."

He stopped in the doorway but kept his back to her. "Yes... well."

"I wanted to..." she said, now a bit more clearly. "I wanted to kiss you. But when I realized you were just going to let it happen...I got scared."

He turned at that. She was surprised to find he looked puzzled. "Scared? Of me?"

"Well, yeah. I mean... you aren't like other guys I've kissed. I mean, you're the Doctor." She shook her head, looking at the table. "I felt... in over my head."

She looked up at him finally. "I just wanted you to understand that. That I wasn't just playing silly little kid games. But that I will leave you alone and I won't ever throw myself at you like that again because I get that's not who you are." She looked him in the eye and despite how it crushed her heart, said "I can be your friend."

Something flickered behind his blue eyes but he simply nodded his head and replied, "Alright then." He gave her a stiff smile and said, "You might try to get some rest." And he departed.

Sienna was left with a whole batch of mixed feelings. On the one hand, she was glad she'd gotten that off her chest. She was proud of how she'd handled things. On the other, the Doctor hadn't reacted as she expected. She figured he'd be glad to hear that she'd accepted the way he is. That he'd be pleased at her taking it all in stride. Instead, she'd swear he almost seemed... disappointed.

 _Mixed signals much?_ She thought, suddenly quite tired. She shook her head and headed for her bedroom.

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, 5:07 a.m. The Next Morning_

When Sienna didn't find the Doctor in the console room the next morning, she headed back down the corridor to the laboratory she'd found the other day. He had said something about going to the lab.

She wasn't usually one to get up this early but she'd tossed and turned most of the night and had finally given up. She was plagued by horrible dreams of mutants chasing her down tunnels, of Chris attacking her and of voices in the woods.

She cracked open the door to the lab and peeked in. The Doctor was indeed inside, working at a computer. He looked up at the sound of the door.

"What are you doing up this early Sienna? Did you get any sleep?" he peered at her over his glasses.

"Eh, I slept enough." She told him as she entered the room, wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt.

He looked down at her feet and shook his head. "Perhaps we should get you some bedroom slippers. It would seem you aren't too fond of shoes." He grinned and turned his attention back to the monitor.

She smirked. "Do you have a problem with bare feet?"

He chuckled, not looking up from the computer. "Not a problem. You just seem to feel awfully comfortable, walking all over the TARDIS barefoot." He tapped a key on the keyboard and squinted at the screen.

Sienna had to stop herself from replying with something suggestive. She cleared her throat instead. "What have you been up to all night?"

Finally he pushed himself away from the table and stood. "Well, I went back to the woods last night and collected some samples" He removed his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief he pulled from his coat pocket. "And I've been studying the anti-time particles, creating a profile to use for my detection device."

She was staring at him with disapproval. "Why the _hell_ did you go back to those woods _again_ after what happened yesterday!?"

He placed the spectacles in his pocket and attempted to reassure her. "Well, for one thing I went on foot last night. For another, I wore a psionic damper ring. To block my telepathy. It prevented any sort of psychic disturbance."

She was still not happy. "It seems awfully risky."

"Well you see Sienna. Sometimes you have to take risks in the name of science." He put her arm around her in a friendly fashion and led her out of the lab back to the console room.

"So have you finished the device?" she wondered.

"Very nearly" he replied, producing a wand-like object that looked something like an electric toothbrush. "Still needs calibrating."

It was just then that there was a knock on the door. The Doctor opened it to find the other Doctor and Dayle standing there. The Doctor cleared his throat. "Do come in."

Dayle had two cups of coffee in her hands and she handed one off to Sienna when she entered the console room. "Hi there." Dayle said to her in a friendly manner.

Sienna grinned back and accepted the coffee gratefully. "Thanks!" They looked up and observed the two Doctors deep in discussion. Eleven as energetic as ever, Five more earnest and watchful.

"Want to show me around this place a little? Maybe we can go sit in the library and talk." Dayle asked, her eyebrows raised.

Sienna nodded and sipped her coffee. "Let's do it."


	17. Chapter 17

_Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, Morning_

"So," Eleven began cheerfully. "It's lovely to meet me!" He was peering at Five critically, from head to toe. "Whatever was I _thinking_ with those trousers?" he muttered.

Five glared, hands on hips. "Says the buffoon wearing braces and a bow tie." He shook his head. "Shall I put you in the picture?" Five looked at Eleven meaningfully.

Eleven crossed his arms and sniffed. "Well it seems I have the most information on what's happened here. So I'd say it is _I_ who needs to put _you_ in the picture."

Five rolled his eyes, placed his fingers to his own temples and grumbled, "Contact."

Eleven followed suit and muttered "Contact."

To outside observers, their telepathic conference would have taken only seconds. Inside their own heads, they shared the details of past events, experiencing exactly what happened through the others' eyes.

Five started with his trip to Karn, the revelation of what was destined to occur with him in Malum. He took Eleven through his trip to the Aphelion Theta base tourist center and all he'd learned there. His tracing the stellar manipulator to Sugar Creek and meeting Sienna in the woods. His interactions with Dayle and Jesse and their horrifying experience in the woods. And how the couple subsequently lost all memory of the incident.

Eleven took Five through all that occurred for him since his very first trip to the Malum Star System five years earlier. The neutron star collision. Being blinded. Meeting Dayle B. The dreams of Dayle A. The wormhole. Arc. Sarcrayle. The episode in the woods. And then he brought him up to date on everything that had occurred since he'd arrived back in this universe. Unfortunately, Eleven failed to provide any filter for the last part and took him through _everything_ that had happened since he'd been back in this universe.

The Fifth Doctor immediately broke contact and sputtered indignantly, " _Honestly_?"

Eleven snickered and adjusted his bow tie. "My sincerest apologies." Five thought he looked more amused than sorry though.

Five shook his head, and paced, hands in his pockets.

Eleven watched him, brow furrowed. "Is there something you'd like to say?" he inquired.

Five finally stopped pacing and walked right up to his counterpart and practically shouted in his face. "How _could_ you?"

Eleven started to get angry. "I'll be more than happy to answer that question once you tell me how it's any of your business. I'm not you. I'm an entirely different Time Lord, completely unconnected from your timeline." He crossed his arms, jaw set.

Five laughed humorlessly. "Thank the gods for small favors. Honestly, I don't give a damn how you conduct yourself so long as it isn't affecting innocent people. But this situation you've created with Dayle?" He shook his head and looked at Eleven in disgust. "It's not right. And furthermore, there's at least some part of you that knows it's not right."

Eleven's eyes grew dark and he approached the other Doctor, smiling ominously. "Ah, and there's that moral superiority I've been missing." Eleven adjusted the celery on his lapel with great care and it took everything in the Fifth Doctor's power not to physically shove him away.

Eleven intentionally invaded his space, his face inches from his own. He practically whispered. "What is it about all this that bothers you more, ay? Is it the part about me breaking some Time Lord code by becoming involved with a human? Or is it the part about you being too afraid yourself to ever consider opening your hearts to someone?"

Five clenched his jaw, feeling the urge to physically harm the impetuous clown. Instead he turned and walked away, shaking his head in disbelief.

Eleven wasn't giving up that easy. He followed after, sounding almost cheerful now. "Because I have a feeling it's the latter. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's something to do with Sienna."

Five spun around and found the other Doctor was smiling, satisfied that he'd hit a nerve. He counted to ten and replied somewhat menacingly, "It's the part about you being selfish and vain and leaving a lovely young woman to spend the rest of her life pining away for an impossible relationship. I think it's both cruel and cowardly and you ought to be ashamed of yourself."

For the very first time, Eleven was rendered speechless. His bravado and his smug attitude seemed to abandon him in an instant and he looked deeply troubled. After a moment of silence he asked softly, "What did she say to you?"

Five's temper cooled considerably when he realized how his words had affected his counterpart. He cleared his throat. "She says that she can't move on with someone else. And aside from that, I learned telepathically that she is in pain quite a lot and just accepts it as part of the deal." He sighed and said softly. "She is suffering. How is that alright with you?"

Eleven seemed to be considering his words, mixed emotions warring within him. Until finally, a peace seemed to come over him and he smiled a little sadly, rubbing his hands together. "You may be right that it was selfish of me to give in and fall in love with a human." He informed Five matter-of-factly, his ancient eyes a stark contrast to his youthful features. "You may even be right that Dayle suffers, but then... don't we all suffer? We take risks every day to be hurt and disappointed. And we make those choices for ourselves."

He sighed and looked Five square in the eye. "But you are wrong about two things. It is far more cowardly to deny your feelings for someone. And it's crueler to walk away and never tell them how deeply they've affected you. And I will never regret what I have with Dayle and I'm certain she would tell you the same."

A silence fell over the TARDIS as the discussion ended. Finally, Five reached into his pocket and pulled out the nearly finished Anti-Time Detector. "I believe the first thing we should determine is the level of anti-time that everyone in the woods absorbed that night."

Eleven nodded emphatically. "Agreed. Hopefully by the end of today, I'll have completed my Timeline Analyzer and we can begin to learn the extent of the damage to the timeline."

* * *

"It's strange." Dayle was saying, "I could never understand before how the Doctor... my Doctor developed feelings for me but not Dayle B when we are-for all intents and purposes-the same person. But talking to you... You aren't my Vannah." Dayle was peering at Sienna, intrigued. "I mean, you look, talk and walk just like her. Same eyes and smile. Same sweet and thoughtful disposition. But, that's where it ends. It's bizarre."

Sienna attempted to grin, but knew she mostly looked uncomfortable. Finally she said, "There's quite a bit about me that differs from your daughter. Some of it, not too good."

Dayle seemed to notice what Sienna didn't. That she'd been unconsciously rubbing at the healing track marks inside her left arm. Dayle set her coffee down and looked suddenly a bit heartbroken.

"When was the last time you used sweetheart?"

Sienna took a deep breath, prepared to tell Dayle everything. Instead she looked her in the blue gray eyes and offered her hand. Dayle didn't hesitate. She moved to sit down right beside Sienna, laced their fingers together, and closed her eyes.

After a few moments, Dayle looked up at her with recognition on her face. She squeezed Sienna's hand and kissed the back of it. "It is never too late. Never. I don't care how much you've fucked up or even if you fuck up tomorrow. You start the next day on a brand new page."

Sienna cleared her throat and asked her softly, "What's your story?"

Dayle smiled affectionately. "It's always a slight variation on the same story though, isn't it? You felt unloved. You saw horrible things you could barely live with. People hurt you, maybe even destroyed a part of you. And instead of building up a thicker skin, instead of walking away from what hurts, you dive in deeper. You revel in the pain. You think the pain makes you special." She laughed a small laugh. "When really it just fuckin hurts."

Sienna laughed at that, because it was just too true. She cleared her throat. "Is it weird being back here?" she asked.

Dayle smirked and patted Sienna's hand which she was still holding. She ignored Sienna's question and instead answered the unspoken one."Yes, I am totally out of my goddamn mind to be in love with the Doctor. And so are you."

Sienna gasped and pulled her hand away like she'd been burned.

Dayle chuckled and bumped shoulders with her. "Gotta be more careful around telepaths baby."

Sienna shook her head. _Way to keep it on the down low._

When Sienna stayed silent, Dayle studied her. "You know he's fallen for you, right?"

Sienna's eyes went wide and she looked at Dayle like she'd just informed her that she was actually a giant panda bear.

Sienna shook her head, certain. "No. That's not true."

Dayle looked at her, amused. "There's a lot of stuff I don't know. I have no idea how this time travel shit works for instance. I can't predict when my phone is going to ring. And I don't know how to heal someone just by laying my hands on them." Sienna raised an eyebrow at this but remained silent. "One thing I _do_ know, is how to read someone's feelings when I touch them. And I assure you, even if he's not aware of it, the Doctor from your universe has got it bad for you."

Sienna felt herself flush from head to toe at Dayle's words. "Your Doctor says that I shouldn't expect anything like that from him."

Dayle nodded and looked apologetic. "I tend to agree with that. He has his hearts _so_ guarded. And he keeps all the fun stuff; lust, desire, passion locked away somewhere so deep, I'm not sure he would even know how to access them." She shook her head.

Sienna nodded, trying not to feel disappointed all over again. "Well, it is what it is."

Dayle wrapped an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "It's probably the best thing for you any way."

Sienna stood and stretched. "Should we go check on the two aliens?"

Dayle laughed. "Yes. We should probably make sure their egos haven't fused and taken over the universe."

They walked in to find the two Time Lords examining Five's Anti-Time Detector. Sienna didn't need Dayle's telepathy to sense the underlying hostility lurking just beneath the surface of the apparent civility. It was palpable.

Eleven headed off to the lab to grab something, stopping along the way to kiss Dayle on the side of her face. Sienna saw her blush like a teenager and felt a stab of envy.

Five pressed a button and the wand beeped twice. "Let's get a baseline, shall we? Sienna, would you care to be my guinea pig?" He smiled at her like a kid with a new toy and she didn't have the heart to burst his bubble.

She sauntered over to him. "Sooo... what do you need me to do?"

"Just stand there and look pretty." he replied absently. He scanned the wand around her body like a security guard at the airport. The device made a strange trilling noise and the Doctor examined the results. He looked pleased. "Perfect. You are 100% free of any anti-time particles."

Sienna did a little dance as if she'd truly accomplished something. Dayle cracked up and Sienna saw from the corner of her eye how the Doctor was looking at her, assuming she wasn't looking. It was practically... adoring. She felt her heart thump in her chest and moved away from him quickly.

"Dayle?" he called, motioning her over. He scanned the detector around her and when it trilled, he glanced at the reading. He frowned, shaking his head. "Let me try that once more." He ran the wand all around her again.

"Something wrong?" Dayle murmured, sounding nervous.

The wand trilled and he stared at the results with narrowed eyes. "It's just. Well. It doesn't make sense."

About then Eleven returned carrying a small box. When he saw the concerned look on Dayle's face, he dumped the box onto the console and headed over quickly to see what was the matter. He put his arm around Dayle's waist protectively before examining the device for himself. "How is this...?" He didn't complete the thought but shared a look with Five when handing it back.

"Are you going to keep us in suspense here gentlemen, or are you going to fill us in on the latest fucked up news?" Sienna finally inquired impatiently.

When neither of the Doctors spoke, Dayle sighed and turned to look at Sienna. "According to what the Time Lord here was just thinking, basically I'm infected with anti-time but somehow, it's _not_ the same anti-time from out in the woods."

"Plot twist." Sienna muttered.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Greetings readers! I know I haven't been updating quite as often as I was but I'm still trying to put up a chapter every couple days. I'm very excited about where this story is going. The ending has finally become clear and I think you're gonna love it. I expect it will get up to about 35 chapters as Stellar Collision was. As always, thanks for reading and keep the comments coming. -Ruinous79_**

* * *

 _Fifth Doctor's Tardis_

"A different _kind_ of anti-time. So what does this mean?" Sienna was asking.

"Yeah. Is it bad?" Dayle wondered, looking suitably nervous.

Five narrowed his eyes and rubbed at his chin. "At this point, we really have no way of knowing if it's good or bad, but I do think it tells us something about the differences in the two universes."

"Right." Eleven was nodding now. "And it also explains something else I've noticed."

Five had a feeling he already knew. He cut his eyes to Eleven. "You mean your calculations being just a _little_ off when you attempt to configure spacetime coordinates?"

Eleven's eyes went wide and he pointed at Five. "Yes, exactly!" He looked excited, like the fun had only just begun. "Each time I have piloted my TARDIS in this universe using standard coordinates, there has been an error message on the computer. Just a blip really, barely even noteworthy."

Dayle gestured as if to say "Aaaaaand?"

"And, the same thing happened to me when I was in _your_ universe and piloting my TARDIS using standard coordinates." Five told Dayle. "But it has not happened since I've been back in _my_ universe."

Sienna put her fingers to her temples like she felt a migraine coming on. "Okay... so, you're saying that piloting the TARDIS in a different universe requires _different_ coordinates?"

"Precisely!" Five replied to Sienna, favoring her with a proud smile.

"Nope. Still not getting it." Dayle declared, looking aggravated. "What the hell does that have to do with the different anti-time?"

Eleven walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, gesturing emphatically with his other hand. "You see Dayle, Everything, every wave, every particle has a mathematical description. Everything from electricity to light to radioactivity can be expressed using mathematical equations."

Five picked up on the explanation. "The thing about parallel universes is that even when there are fundamental physical constants, and it appears that particles are arranged identically, there is still the chance that the mathematical structure of the universe differs."

"Which means that the _standard_ spacetime coordinates for me won't work in this universe, because they're not _standard_ to this universe." Eleven told Dayle excitedly. "It only follows that the mathematical structure of anti-time is affected by the same principle." Now she looked like she got it.

"So, since that Anti-time Orb came from our universe, you're saying it would affect _this_ universe differently?" Dayle concluded.

Eleven nodded, throwing an arm around her shoulders. " _And_ the anti-time from our universe is actually the same anti-time that's in the woods. The same anti-time infecting you. It's only reading differently _because_ the particles from each respective universe are reacting differently."

"I see what you mean about it not being good or bad." Dayle commented, looking unsettled. "Since we don't even know what one type of anti-time is doing, we can't exactly compare the two."

"Well... I mean. This is all just hypothesis though." Sienna pointed out. "You haven't proven anything."

Five was already scanning Eleven with his device. He took a look at the results once it trilled and nodded. "The same reaction as Dayle's scan. So far so good."

"I guess the next step is to scan Dayle B and Jesse." Dayle murmured.

"Exactly." Eleven told her, giving her curls a playful tug. "But I'm afraid _you_ won't be able to come around the happy couple _just_ yet. You'll need to stick around the TARDIS until we get this timeline business resolved."

Dayle narrowed her eyes, now looking quite cross, and looked around at all of them. "Wait... _just_ me? How the fuck does that make sense?"

"Well you see, Dayle and Jesse appear to still remember me." Five explained, putting the anti-time device back in his coat pocket. "But they don't remember meeting you or other me years back. The damage to the timeline seems to revolve around the two of you and the woods."

Dayle crossed her arms, still looking unhappy. "So why does _he_ get to go?" she asked pointing at Eleven.

Sienna cleared her throat and looked a bit embarrassed. "I sort of told them that he's my boyfriend. Donald."

The Fifth Doctor scoffed at that and turned his back.

Dayle cracked up laughing and poked Eleven in the side. " _Donald._ You most definitely do _not_ look like a 'Donald', Time Lord."

Eleven looked at her uncomfortably. "I find it just a bit awkward that I'm pretending to be _Sienna's_ boyfriend. She's practically your daughter." He crossed his arms, grumpy.

Dayle giggled. "Don't you remember when I had to pretend to be the other Dayle on a date with Jesse?" She teased, giving him a meaningful look.

Eleven's face went quite red and he glared at her. "Yes. I remember." he replied tersely.

Now the Fifth Doctor was interested. "Please do tell." he encouraged, leaning against his console with a smile. Sienna walked over and leaned beside him, her arm brushing his. He didn't quite understand why the hairs on the back of his neck were suddenly standing on end. He rubbed at the back of his neck, annoyed.

"Well, we _sort of_ thought Jesse was a Zygon when we first met him." Dayle explained, still laughing.

"A metamorphic shape shifting creature who can take on the form of any other being." Five provided for Sienna's sake.

"But of course it is." Sienna muttered.

"So, since I'm claircognizant and look like Dayle, it seemed to make perfect sense for me to spend some time with him and see if I could get a read on him." She continued.

"Wait. Don't you have to _touch_ the person to get a reading?" Sienna smirked, clearly starting to understand why this particular incident didn't sit well with Eleven.

"I do. And Jesse was not a touchy-feely guy or much of a dancer.." Dayle raised an eyebrow. "Sooo... the other Dayle told me I'd have to get grabby."

" _No way!_ " Sienna shrieked. She covered her mouth and nose with her hands and looked over at Five. He had his arms crossed and was smirking at Eleven.

"And I'm _certain_ the Doctor here handled the whole thing graciously." Five chimed in, eyeing Eleven knowingly.

Dayle looked at Eleven and discovered he was now truly angry. "Hey. I'm just teasing honey." she assured him, her hand on his arm. "Don't get pissy all over again. I _really_ cannot deal with you when you get that way." She rolled her eyes.

Eleven scratched his nose and forced a smile. "It's fine dear." he insisted, grabbing Dayle by the hand. "How about you and I go have some time _alone_ together in my TARDIS?" They exited. He gave Five a death glare on his way out.

Sienna blew out a breath. "Okay, do you wanna tell me what just happened there?" She looked at the Doctor curiously.

The Doctor walked over to the console and put his own TARDIS in cloaked mode. "Not especially." he told her with a smile.

* * *

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS_

Eleven and Dayle stayed in his TARDIS the rest of the day. Sienna went over to check in when they hadn't heard anything by afternoon. She found he was hard at work on his timeline device. "Three hours. Tops!" he insisted. Dayle was taking a nap and Sienna wondered if he'd lulled her to sleep with his lengthy explanations. He was _quite_ a chatty Cathy.

"Okay, well the other Dayle, I suppose _my_ Dayle gets off work at 5:00." Sienna informed him. "I texted and let her know we'd be stopping by. She sounded glad to have the company. So just let us know when you're ready."

She turned to leave and the Doctor called out. "Sienna..."

She turned her head back, curious. "Yes Doctor...?"

"What we talked about yesterday? About _him."_ he continued.

That got her attention. Sienna turned all the way around. "What about him?"

"Any change?" he wondered.

Sienna blinked. "No, but why would there be?"

The Doctor leaned across the railing surrounding his control deck holding some type of tool and a rag. "I was just noticing... the way he behaves toward you, the way he looks at you, and especially the way he reacts to your proximity... reminds me of the way I was when I first met Dayle."

Sienna shrugged and looked at the floor. "What's your point?"

He made a face and wiped some grease off of the tool he was holding with the rag. "I'm just surprised is all. You've gone where no woman has been before." He examined the tool to see if it was clean.

She crossed her arms, confused. "Where's that exactly?"

"His hearts." He looked up and smiled. "Though try telling a man who doesn't quite grasp what love is that he is in love. Bit of an ask."

Her heart was in her throat but she tried not to make too much of his words. "You're telling me he doesn't even know what love _is?"_

"Oh don't be silly. Of course he knows _about_ love. He understands it as an abstract concept and even as an emotion. But you can tell a colorblind man all about the color blue. That it's a color, that it's a metaphor for sadness. He can learn all about blueberries and blue marlin and bluebirds. About all the different shades of blue that exist. That doesn't mean he knows what blue looks like. He could be holding something blue in his hand and never even know it." He raised his eyebrows at her and headed back to his work.

"What is the deal with you two anyway?" Sienna blurted. "It's like you're ready to murder each other."

He replied with his back to her. "When you go back over there, ask _him_. It might be quite... illuminating."

"But..." she started

"Three hours. Tops!" he repeated, the discussion clearly over.

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS_

Sienna walked back in to her Doctor's TARDIS to find the lights in the control room were completely out.

She squinted, trying to see by the light from outdoors as she walked in slowly. Then the door closed and latched behind her and there was complete blackness. _Well fuck._

"D-d-doctor." she called. No answer. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she was beginning to panic. She tried to slow her breathing, to not think about the fact that she couldn't see two inches in front of her and that she seemed to be alone. " _DOCTOR!"_ she shouted loudly.

"Yes, I'm here Sienna." he replied suddenly, entering the room with a torch. "Just a faulty circuit is all. I'm afraid I haven't quite got the bugs out of this cloaking mechanism yet."

She heard him tinkering with something in the wall off to her right and suddenly the lights came back on. She heaved a sigh of relief.

The Doctor walked right over to her. "Sienna, are you alright? You look scared to death." He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, clearly concerned.

She was actually still trembling a bit. She sighed."Twenty three years old and scared of the dark. How rational is that?" she rolled her eyes and walked to a chair to have a seat, feeling tremendously embarrassed

The Doctor pulled a chair up beside her and sat, cleared his throat. "Well, you aren't really afraid of the dark. Not really. You are afraid of what the dark hides from you. You can't see clearly and you could possibly get hurt. Seems a perfectly rational fear to me." He smiled kindly at her.

She felt her heart flip at that smile. And she realized that what he'd said could be applied just as easily to love. _You can't see clearly and you could possibly get hurt._ A perfectly rational fear indeed.

She changed the subject. "The other Doctor says his gadget should be done in less than three hours." He made a sound that sounded almost like a growl and she raised an eyebrow at him, crossed her arms. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you so pissed off at that guy? What did he even do to you?"

He was silent looking down at his hands clasped together in his lap. He sat silent like that for so long, she really didn't think he was going to answer her at all.

Finally he looked up. "I think he was incredibly selfish to start such a relationship with a human." he stated simply.

Sienna stared at him, incredulous. "Um... why the hell do you think that?"

He got that now familiar condescending look on his face. The one that seemed to imply that she couldn't possibly understand the way the universe works. Well, for once, she believed he was wrong about that. On this particular topic, he was definitely not the expert.

"Well to start with, it goes against Time Lord code..." he began.

She curled her lip at that. "Yeah, and the more you tell me about these Time Lords, the more they sound like total dicks. So that's a pretty dumb reason. Next."

He didn't argue that point. "There's also the reality that our lifespans are so vastly different. And there's regeneration which makes us into entirely different individuals." He leaned forward, seemingly trying to convince her. "More importantly though, who I am. The Doctor. I will never stay in one place for long. Nor will he. Traveling space and time in the TARDIS. That is the life I chose. And that he chose. And it's completely incompatible with having any type of relationship."

She looked ceilingward. "And of course Dayle has absolutely no role in any of this, right? She's just the hapless victim and he's the villain." Sienna laughed and shook her head at him. "That's all bullshit. Let me explain something to you about love. You don't get to choose it. You don't choose who you fall in love with. Sometimes, it just kind of chooses you."

He blinked at her. "Well, I know that." The look on his face plainly said otherwise. "Besides, a person can certainly _choose_ whether or not to act on it. A person has a choice on whether they're going to let their hearts overrule their logical mind." It was so obvious that this was uncharted territory for him that she eased off a bit.

She pressed her lips together. "Dayle jumped in with the full understanding that their relationship would have limitations. And she jumped in anyway. And she still doesn't regret doing so. And do you really believe it's only hard for _her?_ Have you _seen_ the way that man looks at her? We should all be so lucky to have someone love us that much." The Doctor's eyes met hers just then and they both looked away.

She jumped up out of her seat, checked her cell phone. "I guess it's about time for my Dayle to be getting home."

The Doctor stayed seated, looking at his hands once again. Suddenly he said, "Sienna, a Time Lord is not made like a human. I very much doubt we even have the capacity to feel the same type of love as a human." He sighed. "I still think what he did was wrong."

Sienna walked right up to him, planted her hands on her hips and said. "Well I think _you're_ fucking wrong. About all of it." Then she turned and walked outside.

She pulled her cigarettes and lighter out of the bush where she's stashed them earlier and saw that Dayle's Camry was parked in its usual spot. She stared at it, not really seeing it as her mind replayed the conversation they'd just had. She lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, feeling aggravated.

Suddenly her brain caught up to her eyes and she realized something was missing from the Camry. _Hmm. Wonder where Gabe's car seat went._ Sienna hoped he wasn't at his grandma's house again. She really wanted to see the little dude.

Out of curiosity, she texted Dayle.

 _Where's Gabe's car seat._

If she asked why she was stalking her parking lot, she could honestly tell her that the TARDIS just happened to be parked outside. She did after all, still seem to remember everything about _her_ Doctor.

Sienna leaned against the cloaked TARDIS and thought about what the Doctor had just said. Was it possible that Time Lords didn't have the capacity to love the same as a human? She shook her head. She couldn't possibly believe that looking at Dayle and her Doctor. Eleven was right. Five just had no idea what the color blue looked like.

Her phone suddenly went _blip blip._

She looked at it and very nearly dropped it onto the asphalt. A response from Dayle.

 _Who's Gabe?_

Sienna threw down her cigarette, turned and ran back into the TARDIS.


	19. Chapter 19

_The Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, 5:38 pm_

Eleven opened the door to his TARDIS and looked startled when his counterpart burst in."Please tell me you are almost finished with your contraption." Five implored once he'd made it inside.

Sienna was right behind him, almost in tears. She had called her biological mother immediately, hoping maybe she'd only been joking in that text.

"Sienna." Dayle B had said, perplexed. "When have you known me to have a car seat in my car?" There was no recognition at all to any references Sienna made to the adopted child. Dayle seemed to assume that Sienna was referring to some child that went to Jesse's daycare. After realizing for sure that it was just as she'd feared, Sienna had stammered an apology and quickly ended the phone call. Gabe, somehow, was just gone. Seemingly erased from time.

A look of concern appeared on Eleven's youthful features when he saw the state Sienna and Five were in. He seemed to immediately grasp the severity of whatever was wrong. "What's happened?" he demanded.

Dayle A walked in from the corridor about then, and headed straight for the distraught Sienna. "What is it honey?" she whispered, her arm went around Sienna's shoulders.

Five cleared his throat. "More damage to the timeline. Young Gabe... I rather fear he's been erased from Dayle and Jesse's life." He looked down, uncharacteristically shaken.

"Oh... that's just awful!" Dayle whispered. She looked at Eleven. "Can we fix this?" She glanced down at Sienna helplessly then back to him. "Can we _do_ something?"

Eleven looked stricken and wiped his hand down his face. "I'm afraid this may be more serious than we thought." He shared a look with Five who nodded his agreement, any animosity between them set aside, at least for the moment.

The Fifth Doctor sighed. "We need to figure out exactly where the fault in their timeline resides. Clearly something significant did or didn't happen to change the course of their lives. And it had to have been at some point before Dayle B met either of you in 2012." he motioned to the other Doctor and Dayle A.

Dayle A shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. The anti-time bomb thing went off in 2015... so wouldn't things have changed from _that_ point?"

Eleven shook his head, his mouth set in a grim line. "It really doesn't work like that. The web of time moves in all directions. It branches off like cracks on a windshield, expanding outward, each event affecting the next branch." He rubbed his face, thoughtful. "We must discover the inception of the alternate timeline that seems to be forming if we have any hope of making it right."

" _If._ " Sienna whispered. She looked up at Five, her brown eyes not looking too hopeful. "It's possible you won't be able to make it right at all, isn't it?"

Five looked at her compassionately. "That is a possibility." he told her softly, unable to lie. He felt terrible for her. He knew that for the first time, she'd started to feel like she belonged to a family. And that she very much felt a bond with her would-be little brother Gabe. His sudden disappearance was affecting her deeply. He cleared his throat. "But I promise you. I will do everything in my power to fix things." he told her firmly.

He spun around and addressed Eleven once more. "How close are you with the Timeline Analyzer?"

Eleven lifted the device from a small work table and showed it to them. It was roughly the size and shape of the type of scanner used to read bar codes in a retail store. "Just finished it." he said, still grim. There was none of his usual child-like excitement or swagger. He just quietly passed the Analyzer to Five to look over.

Five put on his glasses and examined the device. He turned it over nodding his approval but frowned when he saw the interface. "I assume this is only compatible with _your_ console." He peered at Eleven over his spectacles.

Eleven rolled his eyes. "For the love of Rassilon. Is it possible for us to complete a simple task without it becoming...well...becoming a-"

"A pissing contest?" Sienna offered, looking at Five like she'd had quite enough.

He looked back at her apologetically. "Of course." He handed the Analyzer back to Eleven, cleared his throat. "Of course we can."

"So are we going or what?" Sienna inquired, looking a little pale.

"Sienna sweetheart. You are in no shape to go up there." Dayle began, trying to reason with her before Five even had the chance.

Sienna looked at Dayle like she may have taken leave of her senses. "Do you _really_ think I'm going to fucking leave this up to Lucy and Ethel over here" She indicated the Doctors with a nod of her head. They blinked and looked at each other. "They can barely be in the same room without a cat fight."

Dayle shrugged and made a face as if to say "Well, you have a point."

"No." Sienna continued. "Someone needs to keep these clowns in line and since you can't go, it's up to me." She took a deep breath and stood up a bit straighter. "And I'll be just fine."

The Fifth Doctor let Sienna's insults roll off his back and gazed at her, impressed despite himself. _An_ _unconquerable soul_ he thought to himself, remembering a favorite old poem. He walked over to her and took her hand. "Shall we?" he asked.

Eleven kissed Dayle good bye and the two Doctors along with Sienna set out for Dayle B's apartment.

 _Dayle B and Jesse's Apartment, 6:03 pm_

Dayle answered the door as if nothing were amiss. "Jesse won't get home til much later. The mayor's daughter's birthday. He is such a whore for those important people." She told them, giggling and showing her dimples. They all came into the living room and took a seat.

"Anyone want a drink?" she offered. When everyone said no, she shrugged. "Well I'm havin one." She wandered off to the kitchen

"Keep an eye out for anything that seems off or wrong." Five whispered to Sienna.

She nodded, checking to be sure Dayle was definitely out of earshot. "What is the plan here? How does your little doohickey work?" She demanded of Eleven in a low voice. "Is it like the anti time detector?"

Eleven made a bit of a cringey face. "I'm afraid it's slightly more invasive than that. _Your_ Doctor can do his scan for anti-time by swiping around a person's body. The Timeline Analyzer... well it requires a retinal scan of the subject."

Sienna stared in open-mouthed amazement at the two of them. Eleven shrugged and grinned. Five attempted to hide his uncertainty. She sat back into the sofa and closed her eyes. "Do either of you geniuses want to tell me how the _hell_ we are supposed to manage _that?"_

* * *

 _Elevator in Dayle and Jesse's Building, 8:14pm_

"Please tell me that when we fix the damn timeline, she won't remember _anything_ that just happened!" Sienna demanded as soon as the elevator doors closed. She jabbed at the button to take them back to the lobby, somewhere between incredulous and furious. The Doctors both stood quietly, looking embarrassed.

She still could not believe the shit show that had taken place. It all started off so nicely. They had sat and talked to Dayle in her living room. Five had managed to surreptitiously get his anti-time reading early on while Dayle had been distracted talking to Eleven.

 _Dayle and Jesse's Apartment, A Couple Hours Earlier_

After about an hour, Eleven had excused himself to the restroom, presumably to get his device prepped for use. As soon as he left, Dayle leaned forward and said to Sienna in a low voice, "Old Donald's really starting to grow on me. How serious is it with you two?

Five crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at her, obviously curious to see how she'd handle this.

Sienna had initially froze but recovered quickly. "Well. I think it's pretty casual. He travels quite a lot so, we still see other people."

Dayle nodded her understanding, asked. "So who else are you seeing?" She gasped suddenly, remembering. "Did you ever get back to that Silas boy who texted you yesterday? The cute one you showed me the picture of?" she wondered.

Sienna vaguely noticed Five giving her a peculiar look but didn't think too much of it. "Not yet. Just so much stuff going on right now. Haven't really had the chance."

"But you will?" The Doctor had inserted himself into the conversation suddenly.

Sienna looked at him, confused. "I'm sorry... will what?" Dayle was looking puzzled as well.

"You _will_ get back to this cute Silas fellow?" he clarified, his expression unreadable. "You said 'not yet' implying you intend to."

"Uhh... I haven't really decided yet." She gave him a look as if to say _what the fuck?_

"So does Donald know that you're talking to this Silas?" the Doctor persisted, seemingly oblivious to her bewilderment.

Sienna had no clue what he was up to. She sincerely hoped he had a plan in mind and it was just meant as some sort of diversion.

"I-i-it really hasn't come up..." she replied uncertainly. She glanced at Dayle who was clearly becoming uncomfortable.

"Ohhh wait!" He said suddenly, as if he'd had an epiphany. " _Silas_. He's the one who recommended the Steinbeck novel to you. So looks _and_ brains. How lovely for you."

Dayle had promptly excused herself to refill her drink. It was clear she'd sensed the apparent tension and was giving them a moment alone.

Sienna glanced after Dayle and turned back to him. _"What are you trying to do?"_ she whispered fiercely.

He scratched the side of his face, his expression unchanging. "Just curious about this little friend of yours." he said, looking and sounding like a condescending prick.

Sienna just stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. "Are you shittin me right now?" she asked him.

He crossed his arms, aiming for casual but clearly agitated. "I wonder what's taking _Donald_ so long." he commented.

Sienna had been beginning to wonder the same. "I'll see." She stood to go check on Eleven and her phone in her pocket suddenly went _blip blip._

The Doctor made a derisive sound. "Oh. You'll probably want to get that." he muttered snidely.

Totally the last straw.

" _Jesus Christ in low-rise jeans!_ " Sienna shrieked at him, actually pulling at her own hair. "Can you maybe get some _perspective_ here?"

Her little freak-out seemed to snap the Doctor right out of his resentful demeanor. He sat, blinking, looking bewildered by what had just taken place.

Her little freak out had also apparently got Dayle's attention and Sienna turned to find her standing right behind her. "What the hell is going on here?" she demanded, hands on hips.

Five had stood and belatedly attempted some damage control. "Dayle... you see..."

"Do you have the hots for Sienna? Aren't you like 800 years old? _And_ a different species?" The Doctor was speechless so he just sat back down.

"No. No way." Sienna inserted herself into the dialogue, trying to take the focus off him. About then, she noticed Eleven sneaking up behind Dayle. Sienna's eyes got wide. _Oh no._

"Can you explain then, why he's acting so jealous of you texting another boy? I mean, I could see it from Donald but not _him_." Dayle was mystified.

Eleven had suddenly cleared his throat and Dayle turned around. He stuck the Analyzer up to her eyes and triggered it. It made a bizarre squealey sound and emitted a flash of orange light.

" _WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?"_ Dayle screeched, jumping back, and nearly knocking Sienna over.

Sienna turned her around by the shoulders. "Let me see your eyes." she said gently, trying to pull Dayle's hands away.

"Ah, she'll be just fine. It's a perfectly harmless amber kortide laser." Eleven had assured, calmly examining the small LED screen on his device. "The emission wavelengths are mostly absorbed by the cornea and lens of the eye."

"What is going on here? What was that orange light?" Dayle gasped, trying to readjust her eyes to the normal lighting.

"Donald was just testing his new... photography equipment." Sienna explained lamely. She pretended to scold the Eleventh Doctor, and absolutely eviscerated him with a look behind Dayle's back. "You could have at least warned her _darling_."

Eleven had suddenly seemed to remember that they'd been aiming for subtlety. "Right. Sorry Dayle." he said, sounding sheepish.

Five was up on his feet. "Perhaps, this would be a good time to depart..." he suggested.

Sienna had still been worried about Dayle. "Are you sure it didn't cause any harm to her?" she fussed, her hand still on Dayle's shoulder.

"I'm fine now sweetheart." Dayle murmured, still unclear on exactly what had happened. "Might be a good idea for you and your friends to go on home for the night." She gave each of the Doctors rather hateful looks.

Eleven walked over and put his arm around Sienna's waist, guiding her toward the door. "Come along now my little honey bunny."

They'd left with no further incident, though once in the hall, Sienna had delivered an elbow to Eleven's ribs and shook his arm off of her. "Dude. Honey bunny? Ugh. Incredibly creepy."

 _Elevator in Dayle and Jesse's Building, 8:15pm_

The elevator reached the lobby and the doors opened.

Just as they were getting off the elevator, Eleven said feebly, "At least we got the scans we needed."

Five cleared his throat and added. "And now we will have a much clearer picture on how to resolve the timeline issues."

Sienna shook her head, completely done. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz." she grumbled.


	20. Chapter 20

_Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, 8:17 pm_

Dayle A was waiting anxiously when they returned. She jumped out of her chair and met them before they'd reached the console.

"How'd it go?" she blurted, looking at all three of them expectantly.

Sienna shook her head and closed her eyes. "You have _no_ idea." She walked off and found a chair on the opposite end of the control room.

Dayle's eyes narrowed at the Doctors who remained standing silently in front of her. "What did you do?" she demanded.

Eleven rubbed the back of his neck. Cleared his throat. "Well... on the bright side, we _did_ get the scans we were after."

"But..." Dayle gestured impatiently.

"I rather doubt either of us will be invited to a dinner party at Dayle and Jesse's anytime soon." Five concluded with a self-conscious smile.

"Did you two get into _another_ argument?" Dayle shrieked in disbelief.

"No!" the Doctors said quickly in unison, then looked at each other spitefully.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if this imbecile hadn't practically assaulted the poor woman with a surprise retina scan!" Five accused.

Dayle looked at Eleven, horrified.

"Might not have been such a surprise to her if _you_ hadn't been acting like a jealous teenager over a bloody text message!" Eleven countered, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Dayle looked back at the Fifth Doctor in total exasperation. After a moment, she scrubbed her hands down her face and sighed.

"Will you two just do your genius Time Lord thing and save the day already?" She made a disgusted sound and headed over to join Sienna.

Five looked over at Eleven and raised his eyebrows. Eleven straightened his bow tie and forced a grin.

"Shall we?" they said in unison, then rolled their eyes.

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, 10:30 pm_

They had actually worked together quite well once they'd gotten started. There was hardly even any bickering.

Dayle had been in and out, trying not to disturb them while they worked. Just now she was leaning against the console observing. Sienna had disappeared to watch Netflix in the TV room, needing some space. Five couldn't say he blamed her. He still couldn't believe how juvenile he'd behaved. It was inexcusable.

They had started with the Timeline Analyzer results. Since it wasn't the kind of device either of them had made or used before, it was mostly improvisation. Once they'd hooked it up to the TARDIS, they had to translate the results into usable data.

They soon discovered that it was going to be well nigh impossible to pinpoint the exact date that the alternate timeline skewed off. Eleven suggested they were going to have to work backwards until they found the inception point.

The Fifth Doctor voiced his concerns."Since the alternate timeline both _is_ and _isn't_ reality simultaneously, we're standing on very shaky ground here."

Eleven nodded gravely. "You're afraid that the very act of traveling in time from this point will collapse this timeline completely."

Dayle had picked up on pieces of their conversation about the timeline, and was growing concerned. "What exactly do you mean, the timeline could collapse? Because that sounds none too good."

Five sighed. "If these were normal circumstances and there was no temporal disturbance, we could simply make jumps back in time, along the timeline until we found what we were looking for. But the timeline has become fragile, and time travel... well, it...well I suppose it..."

"It creates tears in the fabric of reality." Eleven provided. Five nodded his agreement. Eleven continued. "Normally those tears are like little paper cuts that heal quickly, leaving no trace. Under these circumstances, it's entirely possible everything could just..."

"Collapse." Dayle finished for him. She looked at the two Doctors. "Please tell me there's another option then because that sounds like an awfully big risk to be taking."

"Well," Five said softly, "There is one other possibility." He was chewing on his lip thoughtfully.

"You're thinking of the woods aren't you? The time fissure." Eleven eyed him uncertainly.

"I'll have to complete my analysis there first. I got a bit lost the last time I tried that." He grinned at Dayle and she chuckled. "But it's entirely feasible that we can use the weakness there along with the residual anti time to create a time corridor. And it would be a direct link to the alternate time line because that was the location where the temporal disturbance began."

He looked at Eleven expectantly. After a moment, the Eleventh Doctor nodded. "That _could_ work. But we'll have to do some research first, before we even attempt such a daft thing."

Dayle crossed her arms and leaned against Eleven. "Are you going to explain this time corridor thing?"

Eleven put his arm around her affectionately and explained. "Think of it like traveling in the TARDIS, without the TARDIS. Time Corridors create entry points into time bypassing the vortex altogether. They are terribly risky, notoriously unpredictable, and quite often impossible to even produce."

Dayle looked up at him and made an approving face. "Sounds like our kind of thing." Eleven laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

Five watched them together and suddenly wanted to see Sienna. He decided to excuse himself to go get her.

"We can get to this research in the morning. We're all tired." He told them casually.

Eleven raised his eyebrows and placed his arm around Five, walking him away from Dayle for a little privacy. "In my experience, women are much more quick to forgive absurdly jealous behavior if you'll just own up to it. And apologize." He grinned and clapped the Fifth Doctor on the back.

Five spoke through clenched teeth. "I hardly think I need _you_ to advise me on my relationship with Sienna."

Eleven crossed his arms and smiled shrewdly. "Your _relationship_ with Sienna? Well..."

"Oh for goodness sake. She's just my friend okay? My _friend."_ Five decided it wasn't worth arguing about so he turned his back on the obnoxious little insect. He took a calming breath, adjusted his coat and headed down the corridor, choosing to ignore the laughter that erupted in the console room upon his exit.

He found the TV room quite easily. Sienna was lounging on a large green couch watching a true crime documentary. He cleared his throat to make his presence known.

* * *

She looked over at him and smirked. "Any other questions about Silas?" She wondered. "Would you like to know his height? Maybe his shoe size? Whether or not we've kissed?" She looked at him steadily, her arms crossed on her chest as she maintained her position on the couch. She refused to jump up just because he appeared to be ready to go. He could come to her.

He stood silently for a moment, staring down at the floor. Finally he entered the room and had a seat next to her on the couch.

He said, "Who you speak to or text is absolutely none of my business. I genuinely have no idea what came over me. I-I-I guess it just took me by surprise. You'd never _mentioned_ that you'd been in contact..." He stopped himself, cleared his throat. "Regardless, it's none of my business and I sincerely apologize for my appalling behavior. I was supposed to be there helping to make things right. Get Gabe back. Instead I made an ass out of myself."

The poor guy looked so confused and embarrassed that she really couldn't stay angry. She suspected that he understood that his behavior was motivated by jealousy but was having a problem understanding the why.

She looked at him appraisingly. "I'm flattered that you were jealous." she told him honestly.

He looked ready to argue, then sighed and shook his head. "But there was no logical reason for me to feel that way. It was the most peculiar mindset. Why on _earth_ should I have gotten angry with you because of a harmless comment about a text. It's completely irrational."

Sienna nodded. "Most things involving the heart are." she agreed. "And attempting to apply logic to them is really kind of dumb."

He looked at her like he wasn't sure if he should feel insulted. Then he eyed her curiously, "So you don't think an individual should make an attempt to be rational about their emotions?"

"Well of course I think you should think things through. And you should try _not_ to behave irrationally. But those kind of things happen to the best of us. Love makes people a little crazy." She looked down at her hands, wishing she hadn't used the 'L' word.

The Doctor just looked thoughtful. "Romantic love is the most mysterious aspect of any civilization's evolution. Sexual desire itself is a functional instinct. It's perfectly logical. Propagation of the species."

Sienna almost choked on her tongue to hear the Doctor use the words "sexual desire". She barely managed to keep a straight face.

"Some believe love is simply an evolutionary adaptation to keep mates together to take care of their young." he continued. "To keep males around to protect their females. But it is so much more complex than that, isn't it?" The Doctor didn't even look her way when he posed his rhetorical question.

Sienna cleared her throat. "So if sexual desire is so logical, why do people get... well...um...you know..." She found she couldn't quite bring herself to say the word "horny" in front of him.

He watched her struggle with the appropriate wording before he offered, "Stimulated?"

"Yes! Thank you. Why do people get stimulated even when they can't have kids or don't want kids? When it's nothing to do with procreation?"

He thought for a moment, then smiled. "If sex wasn't an enjoyable experience, the species could potentially die out. And if beings weren't equipped with a sex drive, the same would happen. So the drive to have sex is naturally very strong in all..." he cleared his throat. "well... in all beings that reproduce in that way."

She had questions of a more personal nature she truly wanted to ask, but didn't quite have the nerve. She looked down at her hands again.

Suddenly there was a light tapping on the door and Dayle peeked her head in. "Hey you two. We are going to bed. The Doctor said to tell you there is a spare bedroom right through that door." She pointed to a door on the wall opposite the television. "In case you didn't feel like heading over to your TARDIS. Good night!" She exited.

The Doctor looked at Sienna. "You're probably exhausted, aren't you?" She yawned and nodded. "Well, why don't you go on and head to bed there." he suggested. "I may just pop over to the library and see if I can't get a little research done on our latest project."

"I take it you two managed to figure something out?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded. "It's going to involve something dangerous and frankly a bit stupid but, my gut tells me it's going to work." He smiled and moved to get up.

Sienna didn't want him to leave. She scooted over on the couch, took his hand and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Stay with me." she said sweetly, cuddling into his side.

The Doctor looked down at her and chuckled. "You want me to just sit here beside you all night?" He bumped her side playfully.

She turned and looked up at him. "Don't you sleep?" she wondered.

"Well, certainly. Time Lords don't need near the amount of rest as humans, but we still sleep."

She stood up and tugged him by the hand. "Come on then." she nodded toward the spare bedroom door. "Come sleep with me."

The Doctor stood and blinked rapidly. Looked very uncomfortable. "Uhhh... Sienna." he began.

"I said _sleep_ Blondie. Get your mind out of the gutter." She grinned at him, showing her dimples.

He laughed. "I suppose I could use some rest as well. But..." He looked like he still had reservations. Like he didn't much like the implications of them sharing a bed. Quite frankly, she was far too tired to keep trying to convince him.

"Look." she told him firmly. "I'm going to go in there, see if I can find something comfy to put on and climb under the covers. You either join me or you don't." She gave his hand a squeeze and headed for the room.

Sienna suspected the spare bedroom was another one of those TARDIS miracle rooms that just materializes as its needed. She found a wardrobe and dresser both full of clothes that were her size. There was even a copy of East of Eden on the bedside table. "Nice touch." Sienna whispered to the TARDIS, looking around the room in awe. She would swear the TARDIS hummed back at her.

She found a t shirt that came down to mid thigh and changed into it before jumping into the bed. It felt amazing. She was pretty sure the Doctor wouldn't be joining her. That he was still worried about being proper. Oh well. At least she'd sleep well.

She had just started to drift off when the door opened and the Doctor entered. He stopped just inside the doorway, unsure of what to do.

She sat up, surprised but pleased that he'd come after all. "Come on. Take off some of those layers and get under the covers with me. I solemnly swear I will not molest you." She grinned sleepily.

After just another moment of hesitation, the Doctor removed his shoes, his coat and his cricket sweater. He kept on the striped pants and a plain t shirt. The stupid pants looked like pajamas anyway. She snickered to herself.

She patted the spot beside her and he laid down. He sighed, obviously enjoying the feeling of the soft mattress and pillows as much as she was.

She scooted so she was right next to him, climbed under his arm and laid her head on his chest. "Good night Doctor." she said on a yawn.

He struggled with what to do at first, just laying there stiffly. Finally he covered her with his arm and even gave her a little squeeze.

"Good night Sienna."

* * *

 ** _So, for those who read Stellar Collision, you probably think that Sienna and the Doctor's relationship is about to turn sexual. Well... you're actually right. lol But when I started this story, I swear I had no intention of a pairing between the two. I had more of a Nine/Rose dynamic in mind because frankly, I couldn't picture the Fifth Doctor that way. But man, these characters truly have minds of their own. And they are dirty, dirty minds. :) Changing the rating to mature for the next chapter. -Ruinous79_**


	21. Chapter 21

_**Warning: The first half of this chapter contains (mostly) clothed adult content. It's racy but not quite smutty.- Ruinous79**_

* * *

 _The Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, The Next Morning_

The Doctor awoke in the guest room to find Sienna cuddled up against him, the blankets kicked to the bottom of the bed. He was on his back, his head on a pillow and she was partially on top of him. Her head was on his chest, her long chestnut hair tickling his chin. One of her hands was on his abdomen, one of her bare legs hitched on top of his. He could tell from her breathing that she was still sound asleep.

He was surprised to find that his hearts were racing, his respiration accelerated and a fluttering feeling in his stomach. It was a reaction akin to adrenaline's fight or flight. He couldn't fathom what had him so keyed up. He didn't sense danger.

Sienna stirred in her sleep and the hand resting on his abdomen moved just a fraction lower. All at once the physiological responses he was experiencing made perfect sense. He gasped and sat up, spilling her back onto the bed.

She woke up abruptly. "What happened?" she wondered, looking around.

He attempted to recover his composure. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you."

She groaned and covered her head with a pillow. "I'm not ready to be conscious yet." she protested, muffled from the pillow.

He couldn't help but laugh, already feeling more like his normal self. He grabbed her arm and tugged gently. "Come along now. I'm quite sure we can find some caffeine for you." He was seated next to her and suddenly she half sat up and pulled him back down to his pillow, resuming her initial position cuddled against him, half on top of him.

She nuzzled into his chest and placed her leg back over him, sighed contentedly. "Come on dude. Sleep. Sleep is good." The long t-shirt she'd worn to bed had rode up and revealed her upper thighs and part of her backside which was concealed only by skimpy black panties.

 _This, however, is not good._ The Doctor thought to himself. He tried to not to think about her scantily clad body pressed against him or how good her hair smelled or how lovely she looked, even upon waking. It was no use. His body betrayed him.

She turned her head, looked up at him curiously. "Why are your hearts racing so fast. Are you feeling okay?" she wondered.

For once he was at a loss for words so he pressed his lips together and said nothing. He stared up at the ceiling, willing this inconvenient condition to pass.

Suddenly she propped herself up on one elbow and smirked. "Ohhhh. Wait just a minute." She mimicked his posh British accent. "Why Doctor, are you _stimulated?_ " She giggled.

He noticed she'd chosen the word he'd supplied her with last night during their discussion about the logic behind sexual desire. He also noticed she seemed extremely pleased with herself.

He cleared his throat and attempted to sit up. "Sienna..." he began.

She pushed him back down with surprisingly strong hands and climbed all the way on top of him grinning mischievously.

"Hold up here." she taunted. "I didn't think it was even possible to turn you on." She was laying on top of him now, her face hovering over his, her hair falling down around his face.

" _Sienna!"_ he admonished, trying with little success to push her off of him.

She gasped suddenly. "Oh my _god."_ she whispered, sounding astonished, and looking downward. "Is that your-"

"Alright, that's quite enough. _Up!_ " he ordered, shoving her roughly.

She sat up but straddled his hips with her legs. When he sat up, he found himself face to face with her. She was sitting astride his lap, peering into his blue eyes, serious now. The playfulness and teasing seemed to have vanished once she'd discovered his very apparent physical reaction to her nearness.

He realized that she was trembling ever so slightly, her breathing rapid, her pupils dilated. They sat in silence like that, face to face for a moment.

Suddenly she moved her face in toward his, and her eyes closed. Her lips were so close that he could almost feel them on his. And as before, she hesitated. They were a hair's breadth from kissing and neither of them pulled away.

The Doctor's breathing was now shaky, his whole body on fire. _This is terribly wrong_ he thought to himself. And for once, in all his lives, he found he genuinely didn't care.

He closed his eyes, still feeling the closeness of her lips. The kiss seemed a foregone conclusion at this point. He was not going to make it happen, but he was definitely not going to keep it from happening. He noticed that his hands had magically traveled to her hips.

Finally, their lips just barely touched, just for a second, soft as a feather. It was like an electric shock to him. He could hear his hearts hammering in his ears.

Sienna's lips did not linger. She jerked away as if she'd been burned and leaned her head to the left slightly, kissed him softly at the corner of his mouth. Then kissed a bit below that, then down to his chin. She finally brought her mouth even with his again and tentatively brushed her lips across his. He was overwhelmed by chills.

She pulled away once more and kissed him softly on the other side of his face, down his cheekbone to the other corner of his lips. It was as if kissing him full on the mouth was too much for her. He didn't know how much more of this he could handle. His hands grasped her hips and hauled her body a little closer to him, hoping to make it loud and clear that it was perfectly okay to proceed.

She leaned her forehead against his, breathing heavily.

"Sienna?" he asked, suddenly afraid he'd gone too far. "Are you alright?"

She pulled back slightly and gazed at him with her big brown eyes.

"Don't mind me. I'm just...drowning." she breathed. She chuckled, sounding embarrassed.

He remembered what she'd told him before, about feeling like she was in over her head at the thought of kissing him. The Doctor was besieged by guilt and moved to break their embrace.

Her arms went around his neck and she clung there, keeping him from pulling away. "No." she insisted, and then she shifted in his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing herself down against him. He gasped at the feeling the friction caused and looked at her in surprise. By the look on Sienna's face, he knew the movement had been deliberate and that she knew just what it would do to him.

"You kiss _me."_ she instructed, her eyes full of desire.

She watched him, waiting. And he felt he had no choice but to comply. Because he now realized he _needed_ to go...wherever this was going. Which was strange because until this exact moment, it was a need that hadn't even existed for him. It was something he'd judged others for needing. But here it was now: an actual physical need, very nearly painful in its intensity.

He brushed her long brown hair back away from her face. Then he grasped her face gently in both hands and brought his mouth to hers...

And that was when the door flew open and Eleven bounded into the room, already halfway through a sentence, as usual.

"...that it wasn't just a coincidence that you ended up..." He froze when he saw what they were up to.

Sienna immediately unwrapped her arms and legs from him.

The Doctor quickly lifted her up and off of him and, almost as an afterthought, covered his lap with a pillow."Ever heard of knocking?" he snapped.

Sienna stifled a giggle as she adjusted the long t-shirt she was wearing to cover herself.

Eleven leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms, his face amused. "Tell me Doctor, is _this_ how you say good morning to _all_ your friends _..._?"

"Alright, point taken, thank you." Five said curtly, his eyes staring upward, ready to crawl under a rock.

"Please, don't stop on my account." Eleven raised his hands dramatically and began to back out of the room. "By all means, continue demonstrating for us the _proper_ way that a Time Lord should interact with a human." He laughed smugly and exited the room.

After a long silence in which Sienna visibly struggled not to laugh, the Doctor muttered. "I despise him."

That broke Sienna and she laughed until she was in tears.

* * *

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, 1:15 pm_

He would barely even look at her, she realized. They were all in the laboratory in Five's TARDIS. Sienna and Dayle were standing across the lab table from where the two Doctors were seated, experimenting with some anti time samples. And every single time Sienna met the Fifth Doctor's eyes, even for a moment, he averted his so fast she could practically hear them rolling in his head.

After Eleven had barged in on them earlier, the Doctor handled it by acting as if nothing at all had happened between them. The only difference was, now he wouldn't allow himself to be alone with her and avoided eye contact at all costs. Sienna would laugh at how childish he was being if it didn't hurt her feelings so much.

Eleven was holding a vial up to the light and swishing some liquid around. He squinted at it, then nodded his head and placed it on the table. He sighed heavily. "I think you're right." he told his counterpart grimly.

Sienna had lost track of the conversation by feeling sorry for herself so she shook her head and got back in the game. What was happening with the timeline was the priority.

The Fifth Doctor shrugged. "Only Sienna and I then." he said, glancing at her briefly then back down at the table.

"Wait. What is going on? Only Sienna and you _what?_ " she questioned.

Five cleared his throat and spoke like he really didn't wish to be addressing her at all but had no choice. "It seems that the anti-time reaction we discovered in the other Doctor and Dayle here means that they won't be able to join us in the time corridor."

"We're incompatible." Eleven said, looking grumpy.

Sienna found herself a little worried that they wouldn't have him along. She imagined that two genius time traveling aliens were better than one in dangerous situations.

"So explain again what will happen once we go through this time corridor?" she asked, feeling a bit jittery.

When Five didn't answer immediately, Eleven looked at him with impatience and jumped in. "Entering the alternate timeline, you will be in the exact 'when' and 'where' you are now. The only difference will be what's happened in the past."

Sienna nodded her understanding. "So you mean, the little changes we are seeing, Dayle forgetting people and events, that will be the full reality? No Gabe?" Her heart ached just thinking that. She felt a cold chill that had nothing to do with the temperature in the lab and shivered.

Apparently, seeing her in pain was too much for Five's wall of indifference. He sighed and said gently, "Sienna, what we'll see will be quite different from our current reality. Probably even more different than we could guess. But it's still only a possibility. It's not a certainty." He looked into her eyes just long enough for her to see how conflicted he felt about her, then looked away again quickly.

"Right!" Eleven said, jumping up and clapping his hands definitively. "So now I'll need to rig the power source. We'll need to anchor the entrance to the corridor so we don't lose power." He grabbed Dayle by the hand and headed back to his TARDIS, clearly eager to be doing something to contribute to their operation.

Sienna leaned on the table and watched the Doctor. He was putting his spectacles away into his pocket and straightening up a bit, looking wary of being alone with her again.

"You didn't do anything wrong you know..." she told him softly when the silence became too much. "Because I know that's what you think."

He stopped what he was doing and leaned against the wall opposite her, an unreadable expression on his face. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

He didn't disappoint. "What we did this morning, what _I_ almost did this morning, was disgraceful." He told her, sounding surprisingly angry. "That is not who I am. I operate on logic. As a Time Lord, I need to be in control at all times, not to take all leave of my senses just because some attractive young woman rubs up against me. That's irrational. I need order in my life. Not this...this chaos." He sighed and lifted a box full of items he intended to take with them.

Sienna had never been much of a joiner in school, but she had enjoyed being in drama club and acting in plays. And in that moment, she was grateful for the experience because despite how his words had wounded her, she managed to act quite convincingly like she didn't care.

She looked him dead in the face and said, "Yeah, you're probably right." She even gave him a small smile. Not a tear, not a tremble, not a heartbroken expression. "Anything you need me to do before we head to the woods?" she asked casually.

The Doctor was clearly not a poker player because it was blatantly obvious that her unexpected reaction crushed him. Like _crushed_ him. He actually had to set the box he was holding down.

 _Good._ She thought, her own stomach in knots. _Now you know the feeling, dick._

She acted oblivious to his reaction and pointed to a case on the table. "Want me to carry that?" she asked him.

He slowly managed to collect himself, and picked the box up once more. (He really would be dreadful at poker.) "Y-y-yes. Of course. Bring that to the console room." He cleared his throat, gave her one last confused look and headed out into the corridor.


	22. Chapter 22

_The Clearing, 4:20 pm_

"So I still don't see how we're going to figure out what went wrong in the past by remaining in the present." Sienna was saying to the Eleventh Doctor.

"Yes, well. You'd be surprised at how much information you can get out of people. If you only ask." He grinned encouragingly at her.

Sienna and Eleven were standing off near his TARDIS. The blue boxes stood side by side on the deserted country road in the clearing that split the woods. Everything was nearly prepared for the time corridor.

Five was just finishing connecting the wireless boost unit from his console out the front door, listening in on their conversation. He was trying not to be bothered that Sienna had gone to Eleven for reassurance before they set off. He was trying not to be bothered that Sienna seemed unfazed by all that had transpired between them. And he was trying not to be bothered that she had agreed with him so readily when he said what they'd done was a mistake.

But he was very bothered. In fact, if he was honest, he was a complete wreck.

It was taking him much longer than it should to set up the unit. He kept crossing the wires and calibrating it wrong. _Ridiculous_. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hey there Doctor." Dayle had walked over to see what he was working on. She took one look at him and saw that something was very wrong. "Whoa. What happened?"

He continued his work while she stood waiting for his response. He connected a cable wrong and sparks flew from the unit. Dayle gasped and stepped back.

After a moment, she knelt beside where he was working. "You might feel better if you talk about it." She said gently.

He sighed and looked at her. "Thing is, I'm not quite sure I have the words." he told her honestly.

She raised her eyebrows at him and offered her hand. "You don't need them." she reminded him.

After a moment's hesitation, he stood and took her offered hand, helping her to her feet. She held on just a few seconds longer, her eyes closed. Then she looked at him with compassion and just a touch of humor. She gestured for him to follow her into his TARDIS. They closed the door behind them and both leaned on the console.

"Oh honey." she said to him, laughing softly. "You're a mess. You tell a girl to leave you alone, and she agrees with you and now you can't even function." She crossed her arms and sighed. "Doctor. You're both being complete idiots. You didn't mean what you said to her and she was just pretending not to care. You've both hurt each other. Now you have to make it right before you end up blowing us all to kingdom come." she laughed softly again and studied him. Shook her head. "You're useless right now." she said affectionately.

She turned and left him to think on her words. Was she right? Had Sienna only been feigning indifference?

He went back out and finally completed work on the boost connection. The two police boxes would serve as a remote power station to keep the time corridor active. The corridor itself would form in the woods, the site where the anti-time explosion had occurred 2 years earlier.

It would be up to Eleven and Dayle to make sure there was no power failure. A power cut could result in a complete collapse of the corridor.

Sienna was having a word with Dayle and Eleven was standing around with Five. It was nearly time to get going.

"You have the sensor I gave you?" Eleven inquired. Five took off his hat to show that the device was fastened inside. Eleven nodded and Five replaced his hat.

"Now, don't forget to wear that psionic damper I gave you." he reminded Eleven, displaying his own. "These woods. They can make you do terrible things." He shuddered remembering what had happened to Jesse.

Eleven nodded his understanding and looked around. "Assuming you have the transducers set out there, I think we may be ready to go."

He reached in his pocket and produced his Sonic Screwdriver. He held it out to Five. "Here. You may need this."

The Fifth Doctor took it and rolled his eyes. "I've managed quite well without one for some time. But... I do appreciate the sentiment." He stuffed the device in his coat pocket. He wasn't so much gracious about the gesture as he was maybe just a little less cross than usual with Eleven.

"Right. So I suppose it's time to get in position." declared Five. Sienna gave Dayle a quick hug and walked over. He looked at her for a moment, then murmured. "You don't need to do this. I'm more than capable of getting the information myself."

She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. "I do need to. This affects my family." She nodded toward the woods. "Shall we?"

They headed across the clearing and Eleven shouted "Don't forget! We've got six hours, tops before this thing collapses. Four to be on the safe side!"

As they headed out through the woods, the Doctor wondered what Dayle had said to Sienna. He knew something had changed because she kept glancing up at him, nervously chewing her lip like she had something to say.

When they reached the spot, they stood a little ways away from the transducers. Sienna texted Dayle "Go ahead." and they waited for Eleven to throw the switch.

The woods were eerie quiet with the occasional ominous whispering in the trees. Here the temporal disturbance was palpable. Pressing down on them. Making them feel a little strange. The Doctor noticed a shiver run up Sienna's body and he reached for her hand. She clasped onto his wordlessly.

"I wonder what's keeping them..." The Doctor was saying.

The Doctor and Sienna looked at each other as the ground began to tremble slightly. There was a localized electrical disturbance, concentrated between the three transducers. Visible currents of air began to swirl around and in the currents, a ball of glowing light formed.

"Whoa." Sienna whispered, squeezing onto his hand. The glowing ball began to spin in midair, getting larger and brighter after each revolution. A deafening white noise suddenly filled the sky.

The Doctor shielded his eyes from the glare. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, shouting to be heard.

"Nooo." she quavered. "But let's do this shit."

They advanced toward the corridor, now touching the ground and tall enough to walk through.

The moment they made contact with the light, they were falling in mid air and spilled onto the ground right back in the woods.

Only...these woods were not burnt. There was no trace of a fire where they ended up.

"Ow!" Sienna groaned, rolling into a sitting position.

The Doctor stood and pulled Sienna to her feet. "I think it worked. It appears to be the exact place...only none of the surrounding trees are blackened."

Sienna brushed leaves off her backside. "Where the hell did we fall from?" she wondered, looking around.

The Doctor retrieved his hat from the ground, checking that the sensor hadn't been knocked loose. Then he surveyed the trees above them. "Ahh. It appears as if we may need to do a bit of climbing to get back." He pointed. The exit point of the corridor was about 10 feet off the ground.

"Charming." she muttered.

Suddenly a maniacal cackle seemed to emanate from the trees and the Doctor felt his hair stand on end. "Sienna. We need to move now." he told her in a firm tone.

"W-w-hat the hell? Didn't I hear that sound in the woods before...the night that you got possessed, and Jesse got hurt?" she asked, now clinging to his arm.

"That's right." he said quickening their pace. "Only that was just a temporal echo you heard. I rather fear these woods may be haunted by the real deal."

The air above them was charged with electricity. A soft hiss seemed to settle over the woods.

"That's the Tregannon. Sienna we need to run!" They took off hand in hand, headed toward the clearing.

Fortunately they reached the country road before anything could touch them. And the clearing seemed to be a safe zone.

"Well. I'd say this confirms it." Said Sienna, gesturing around the empty clearing. "Not a blue box in sight...So now what?" she wondered.

* * *

"I suppose we should start with Dayle. Ascertain exactly what has resulted from the unknown turn of events." The Doctor told Sienna. "Any changes from the original timeline will be clues that will tell us where the timeline skewed off." They were now headed back through the woods toward Dayle's apartment building.

"Sooo... we just show up on her doorstep?" Sienna asked. "I mean... isn't there the distinct possibility that whatever is affecting the timeline changed how she knows the two of us?"

"I had considered that." They had reached the treeline and stood peering at the lot. The Doctor continued. "I think the safest bet would be for me to approach her casually. See if she recognizes me and go from there."

Sienna gave him a little side-eye. "Why you and not me?" she wondered.

"Well, because you happen to be a significant part of her life. What if, as you say, something changed in how she knows you. What if she's not met you at all? There are too many variables." he concluded.

Sienna crossed her arms and considered his words. "So what am I supposed to do? _Hide?_ " she grumbled.

"Isn't there a coffee shop just around the corner? You never did have your coffee..." he looked away, obviously remembering why exactly that was. He blinked, looking conflicted again.

She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Okay. You go see what you can find out with Dayle. I'll wait at Bean Tree over on College ave. Come find me when you're done...and don't be long." Her brown eyes lingered on his face for a moment. Wondered if he was even capable of sorting out his emotions.

Dayle A had told her she had hurt him terribly earlier. And she did feel bad for that. But she couldn't apologize for it if he couldn't even admit that he actually cared. She turned to go.

He stopped her with a hand on her arm, cleared his throat. "Sienna," he began. "I regret what I said to you earlier in the lab. About what happened this morning between us. It... it wasn't disgraceful." He looked down at his hands. "I was wrong."

 _Whoa._ She suspected those were three words he didn't utter too often.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, that he'd made himself vulnerable like that. After a moment of hesitation, she walked closer to him, took both of his hands, and told him softly, "You were afraid."

He shrugged. "Yes, I suppose I was."

She remembered the power outage in the console room the other day, how scared she'd been of the dark and what he had told her.

She looked up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. "You're afraid cause you can't see clearly and you could get hurt. Seems a perfectly rational fear to me." She stood on her tiptoes, kissed him on the side of his face, then turned and headed across the field toward College avenue.

 _Bean Tree Cafe, 6:12pm_

The coffee shop wasn't very busy. Sienna supposed having coffee at dinner time was a little unusual but she didn't have an appetite anyway. Her nerves were pretty well shot. She couldn't quite get past the fact that she was in some bizarro alternate timeline. It was a feeling in her stomach, just physically wrong somehow. Like she really shouldn't be here.

She sat in a booth and sipped her coffee, impatiently awaiting the Doctor's arrival. She noticed that someone had abandoned a newspaper on the table of the booth next to her. She went and grabbed it to keep her mind occupied.

It was yesterday's edition of the Burgess County Gazette, October 28, 2017. She glanced at the front page and her stomach dropped. _Chris._ The photo for the front page story showed her charming ex boyfriend wearing a prisoner jumpsuit and handcuffs. He was being walked into a courthouse by sheriff's deputies.

The headline didn't offer much. Two simple words: _Bantree Arraigned_

Sienna shook her head in disbelief, whispered, "What the hell did you do to make the front page asshole?"

She started to scan the article but needed to go no further than the lead:

 _A local man was in court today for the murder of his ex girlfriend._

Sienna's heart leapt to her throat, her limbs felt weak.

With shaking hands, she folded the paper to get a better view of the article. She skimmed for the details.

 _Christopher Bantree, a native of Kirkmore is accused of strangling his estranged girlfriend Sienna Woods in broad daylight. Woods was murdered in the parking lot of the IGA on Dunhurst and Main on Tuesday. Authorities allege Bantree was in a drug fuelled rage at the time of the assault._

Sienna dropped the paper and covered her face with trembling hands. She didn't know at first whether to stay put or run to find the Doctor but realized pretty quickly there was no way she'd be able to sit patiently.

She ran out of the cafe and headed toward Broadway. Halfway there, she began to feel dizzy and a bit lightheaded. She stopped and leaned against a light pole.

Something definitely was not right. Every muscle and bone ached. Her head was pounding.

She supposed it was no surprise she felt terrible.

She was fucking dead after all.


	23. Chapter 23

_Dayle B's Apartment, Alternate Timeline_

When Sienna headed off for coffee, the Doctor headed up to the parking lot of Dayle's apartment building. He didn't exactly have a plan but he was certain he could improvise a bit...if he could only find a way to run into her.

It was just around dinner time so not terribly late. Dayle's Camry was in the driveway. Jesse's Audi wasn't around but it was possible he hadn't returned from work yet.

After considering his options, he figured his best bet was to be proactive. And that meant knocking on her door to see if she recognized him. If she didn't, well he'd play it by ear.

He headed for the lobby, hands in his pockets. He hated to admit to himself that a huge weight had been lifted after he and Sienna had made up. It was like he could breathe again. Definitely frightening that another person could affect him so deeply. The Doctor touched his face where Sienna had kissed him and very nearly bumped right into Dayle as she came off the lift.

"Pardon me Miss." he said politely, searching her face for recognition. He realized that she had been crying. Was actually _still_ crying a bit.

She looked up and issued a polite "Excuse me." before making her way purposefully out to the lot. Obviously she had no idea who he was. She had stared right through him. He headed back to the lobby entrance and peeked out. When he was sure the Camry had driven off, he headed on upstairs to take a look at her apartment.

The Doctor wondered why Dayle had been so upset. She certainly wasn't the type of woman who would cry in public unless it was something serious.

When he reached the apartment he tried the knob. Locked. He appraised the door. Sighed. Pulled out Eleven's ostentatious Sonic Screwdriver and used it to unlock the door.

Dayle's apartment was slightly different. A different sofa, older end tables. There was no dining room table at all which struck him as slightly odd.

He spotted some mail on a desk in the living room and began to rifle through it. The Doctor searched through drawers and examined documents. Then he headed back to the bedroom and took a look around. He noticed a black dress layed out across Dayle's bed which was unmade.

Several framed photos adorned the antique dresser. The more he looked, the most glaringly obvious it was that something was missing. There wasn't a trace of Jesse here. No bills, no photographs, no personal documents. The Doctor emerged from the bedroom, his mouth set in a grim line.

It looked as if Dayle lived a rather utilitarian lifestyle. A single mug and spoon left dirty on the kitchen counter. Quite a lot of take out containers in the fridge.

So, no Gabe. No Jesse. And something had her terribly upset. He thought of the black dress on her bed and wondered if there hadn't been a death in her family.

He realized that Dayle may not have gone very far and could return any time. He peeked out the living room window that faced the parking lot. There was no Camry but he did see Sienna come stumbling across the lot. He narrowed his eyes.

She was supposed to wait for him. What the _hell_ was she doing?

He skipped the lift and ran down the stairs as fast as he could. Something had to be wrong for her to come back here.

He met her in the lobby and saw immediately that she was not well. She was pale and had the most peculiar look on her face. She collapsed just as he reached her. He caught her and carried her over to the bench near the mailboxes.

He slapped her face lightly. "Sienna. I need you to look at me. Sienna..."

Her brown eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. She looked positively haunted. She grabbed onto his upper arms. "Doctor. Something's wrong." Her face was pinched with pain and she looked more scared than he'd ever seen her. She groaned and closed her eyes, falling back limply. She was barely conscious. He took her pulse and grew even more concerned.

He smoothed her hair back from her face and spoke gently. "Sienna, you need to tell me what's happened. Did someone do this to you?"

Without opening her eyes, she whispered. "Doctor I'm not supposed to be here."

"Yes, I know." he soothed. "And we'll get you home very soon. But I must know what's happened."

Sienna suddenly seemed to struggle to sit up. He helped her and kept his arm around her to keep her upright.

"You don't understand. I _can't_ be here. I'm supposed to be dead." she insisted in a scratchy whisper. Her head lulled a bit and her eyelids fluttered.

His eyes widened and he grabbed her by her shoulders. "Sienna. What the devil do you mean?" He was practically shouting now, alarmed at her words.

She fell against him and clutched at his coat. "Chris." she croaked. "Chris killed me. He strangled me in front of IGA."

The Doctor thought of Dayle crying. The black dress. He felt something seize his hearts and he somehow knew these weren't just the words of a delirious person. He had to get her out of here, back through the Time Corridor.

He picked her up and headed out the door back to the woods. He ran the best he could while carrying her and stopped to rest when he reached the clearing. The now familiar demented cackle of Sarcrayle, the Tregannon echoed out through the trees. The Tregannon that was never defeated in woods that were never scorched because an Anti-Time Orb was never used here.

The Doctor thought he had a pretty good idea of exactly what had turned the tide in this timeline.

He looked down at Sienna whose lips now actually had a bluish tinge. He gasped. She was becoming cyanotic.

"Sienna!" he shouted. He felt for her carotid and found her pulse weak and thready. She was dying.

She had been right. She couldn't be here. Her very presence in this timeline was a paradox. And if he didn't get her out of here immediately, she wasn't going to survive.

Somehow he had to make it back to the corridor. The corridor that was ten feet off the ground and deep in the woods that were now growing dark. Woods that just so happened to be inhabited by a psychic, disembodied goblin creature with telekinesis.

"And I thought this might be a challenge." he muttered sarcastically.

If he could just get her through the woods safely, he might be able to figure out the rest.

He checked her breathing and pulse again and noticed the simple psionic damper ring he still had on his little finger. His eyes widened. It meant he was safe-albeit temporarily- from the Tregannon's powers, which were based entirely on psionic energy.

The damper was too simple of a device to hold off a Tregannon for long, but the Doctor hoped he'd have enough time to get them back through the corridor. He hefted her over his shoulder like a fireman and headed in.

The Doctor felt the electrical disturbance all around him. Static seemed to charge the air and fog suddenly rolled in across the ground. "How very ominous." he remarked to the creature as he rushed back to the site of the Time Corridor.

" _Time Lord!"_ the Tregannon shrieked. _"Do you know what I can do?"_

"Not entirely," the Doctor replied in his congenial fashion, "but I have a feeling you'd like to show me." He'd reached the spot where the Time Corridor spun in mid air, roughly ten feet from the ground. This was going to prove problematic.

Suddenly the Tregannon let out a furious hiss. " _How are you protected!?"_ it demanded. The Doctor supposed it had attempted one of its impressive tricks and failed. He hoped it would take the creature a while to figure out what was holding its energy off.

The Doctor placed Sienna on the ground and put the damper ring on her finger. There were now no breath sounds. No heartbeat. He frantically placed his mouth over hers and breathed air into her lungs then performed chest compressions. After a few moments, she coughed lightly, and groaned, her life momentarily restored. He heaved a sigh of relief and reached into his pocket for the Sonic. The Sonic he was so sure he wouldn't need. _Damn Eleven._

He aimed the Sonic at the Time Corridor and attempted to stretch the exit point. Just as it began to work, Sienna was suddenly being dragged away through the fog on the ground by invisible hands. Her lifeless body put up no resistance and she was thrown hard into a nearby tree.

"No!" he shouted running over to her. He didn't think that the Tregannon would get past the damper ring so quickly.

" _Your friend is more fun than you. But would be even more entertaining if she could put up a fight."_ Sarcrayle cackled wickedly.

The Doctor saw Sienna's head had split open slightly and blood poured through her beautiful brown hair.

The Doctor shouted some curse words in Gallifreyan and carried her back to the corridor. Electricity lit up the sky directly above them and the trees began to sway violently against the wind. The Doctor aimed the Sonic once more and continued his attempt to bring the exit point down to them. He figured they didn't have much of a chance. They were both completely vulnerable now.

It suddenly occurred to him that the Tregannon must have expended quite a bit of psionic energy to hurl Sienna at the tree. Now it just appeared to be putting on a little show while it's powers rebuilt. The revelation brought some relief but he found himself wishing that he had time to stick around and destroy this despicable monster.

The Doctor let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding the moment the Time Corridor stretched downward far enough for them to go through. He looked at the Sonic before putting it back in his pocket. He'd die before admitting to Eleven it had probably saved both their lives. He approached the exit point of the corridor feeling terribly relieved. Then he jumped forward, and propelled Sienna and himself into the swirling blue light.

* * *

Sienna's eyes sprang open the second she rolled across the scorched ground out of the Time Corridor. She took a deep breath and realized that she was alive and no longer in pain. That she felt perfectly fine in fact. She looked around the now dark woods. The Time Corridor must have collapsed once she'd come through. The glowing portal was no longer rotating over the transducers.

Had the Doctor made it...

"Sienna, are you alright? How do you feel?" he appeared, much to her relief, and knelt down beside her.

"I'm actually fine now." she told him in amazement. She grabbed his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

The Doctor began to look her over, studied her face, looked her up and down. He checked the back of her head, even examining her hair. "The wound is gone." he murmured, shaking his head.

"I'm fine. See? I'm really okay." she insisted. She sighed and looked up at him, tears suddenly in her eyes. "I sure am happy to see you again though."

He looked at her intently for a beat, and then without warning grabbed her face with both hands and began to kiss her aggressively. After just a moment of shock, she responded in kind, feeling her pulse race as she clutched at the lapels of his coat with both hands, hanging on for dear life.

The intensity of what had just taken place had apparently overruled the Doctor's normally gentle nature, had extinguished his mild mannered disposition. The kiss was forceful and Sienna found it to be incredibly erotic. His hands were tangled in her hair somewhat painfully, his lips crushed against hers brutally. After a moment, he backed her against a tree and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. The only coherent thought she had when their tongues touched was _Oh hell yes._

Sienna had been wrong about kissing the Doctor. She had thought that it'd be like drowning, that she'd be helpless, unable to touch the bottom, unable to reach the shore. Instead she found herself quite willing to be pulled under. She found that she had no wish to set foot on dry land again.

His senses seemed to return to him all at once. He dropped his hands from her head, detached his mouth from hers and took two steps back.

Sienna was trying to catch her breath, as if she'd just run a mile. She was definitely aroused and her lips felt tingly and slightly bruised. She leaned back against the tree to steady herself and looked up at him, her eyebrows raised.

He looked like he couldn't quite believe what he'd just done. He stood blinking, touched his fingertips to his mouth. "I-I-I'm so very sorry. I didn't... well... I hadn't intended to... I suppose I was so happy that you were alright, I just got carried away."

By the time he finally quit babbling, she had gotten her breath back. She looked at him with her big brown eyes and told him solemnly, "I like you much better when you're quiet."

At that he burst out laughing. He laughed harder than she'd ever seen him laugh. She just stood watching him, amused. She wasn't entirely joking. When his mouth was occupied with something other than talking, the Doctor was much more pleasant to be around.

After the laughter subsided, he offered his hand, almost uncertainly. "Shall we?"

She took his hand and squeezed it. "To the TARDIS Guardian Angel."


	24. Chapter 24

_Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, 10:12pm_

"So you're saying that the event that changed everything in the alternate timeline, was my arrival in this universe? That I... that we never came to this universe?" Eleven asked, eyes narrowed.

The four of them were seated in the library talking out all they'd learned. Eleven and Dayle were each sitting in velvet chairs right next to each other. Five and Sienna sat side by side on a couch, their hands intertwined. Five was unwilling to let go of her just yet. She seemed to feel the same.

The Fifth Doctor nodded grimly. "It fits. Dayle B had once told me that she didn't know if she would have ever opened herself to the possibility of love again or of adopting a child if it hadn't been for you." He pointed at Eleven. "Then there's the fact that the Tregannon was never destroyed in the other timeline. With you two not here, the battle might not have taken place."

"That's an awful lot of supposition." Eleven murmured rubbing at the back of his neck thoughtfully.

"And what about me?" Sienna broke in softly. She leaned forward slightly, looking at each of them. "Me being murdered?" She gulped, trying her hardest to look unafraid.

Five squeezed her hand. She looked at him with a appreciative smile."I mean, you're the reason it didn't happen." she insisted. "What does their presence in this universe have to do with your presence at IGA that day?"

"Don't you recall what I was doing the day we met? I was in the woods looking for a stellar manipulator that was only there because of all that happened that night two years ago. If the TARDIS hadn't located that device in those woods, we would have never met. Think about it. It's why Dayle B can't remember Eleven or Dayle A. She never met either of them. And she definitely did _not_ know me in the other timeline. Because she never met me either."

Dayle was shaking her head, doubt in her eyes. "Something about that doesn't feel right. If we didn't come, what happened with Arc? Plus, I didn't think the anti time could affect our universe." She looked at Eleven, clearly needing his thoughts on the matter.

Eleven sighed heavily. "We need to be certain. We need to know the exact event that changed things so we can go back and fix it. I suspect we'll only have one shot at time travel in this timeline before the alternate version of events becomes actuality."

Dayle made a derisive noise and crossed her arms. He looked at her, hurt. "What?" he demanded.

"I thought you couldn't cross your own timestream, or _fix_ things that go wrong." She gazed at him, perplexed. "The way you make it sound..." she gave a little shrug. "It just seems a bit heavy handed for you, that's all."

Five nodded. "It's true that the laws of time forbid interference. Our people take the responsibility of time travel very seriously. But in some circumstances-"

"In some circumstances, we must make exceptions." Eleven concluded firmly, looking in Sienna's direction, protectiveness evident on his face.

If ever there was a time the Fifth Doctor felt genuine gratitude toward Eleven, it was in that moment.

"So how do we know for _certain?_ " Sienna wondered, looking from one Doctor to the other.

"Well, for one thing, we need to try and analyze the readings from my timeline analyzer device again. We may actually get somewhere now that we're armed with real information." Eleven held up the small sensor device that had traveled to the other timeline in Five's hat.

"Right." Five agreed with determination, standing as well. "We should do so at once. While the ladies get a little sleep perhaps?" He still hadn't let go of Sienna's hand and she gave his arm a little tug. He looked down at her, curious.

"I need to speak to you." She said softly. Her brown eyes were troubled.

He nodded and pulled her to her feet. "I'll join you in the console room in just a moment." he told Eleven. Five and Sienna headed down the corridor toward the TV room, hand in hand.

When they got inside, he turned and looked at her, curious. "Sienna, what's wrong?"

Sienna had finally let go of his hand and was pacing a bit. "I don't think the part about me, about my murder has anything to do with Eleven or Dayle." She looked up at him and shook her head. "I really don't."

"Sienna. Calm down." He approached her and put his hands on her shoulders gently. "Tell me what makes you say that?"

She sighed. "I know this is gonna sound stupid but...it's a feeling." She looked into his eyes, like she was daring him to argue.

He was silent for a moment. It took a great deal of restraint not to dismiss her apprehension out of hand. He was working on that whole condescension thing. Clearly it wasn't a trait that endeared him to her.

"Sienna." he began softly. "I can only began to imagine how frightened you must have been when you read that newspaper article. And that is entirely beside the fact that you very nearly died." He studied her face. "Isn't it entirely possible that this feeling you have is the result of that trauma?"

She was shaking her head aggressively, her expression confused. "No. I just..." She looked like she was doubting herself a bit. The Doctor put his arm around her and led her to the sofa. He sat close beside her, trying his best to put her mind at ease.

"I swear to you, on my life, I will resolve this. You are not going to die. It's simply not going to happen." He gazed at her, stroking the side of her face. He leaned in and kissed her softly. She melted into him and sighed, sounding content. When the kiss ended, his face became dead serious. "I will not allow it to happen."

She looked up at him with nothing but trust in her brown eyes. "Okay then."

* * *

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, 6:12 am_

Sienna woke up in the guest bedroom of the Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS feeling hopeless again. She'd had nightmares all night long. Really, just one nightmare. She'd dreamed repeatedly of her confrontation with Chris in the IGA lot. Only in the dreams, the Doctor never arrived to stop him. Never came to her rescue, never knocked him unconscious. The dream ended with her dying. Over and over again.

The Doctor had tucked her into the bed last night before returning to work on the timeline analyzer. He had kissed her good night and reassured her again that she had nothing to fear. And she wanted to believe him. She still couldn't put into words the suspicion she had that the event of her death was separate from the issue with the anti time. She'd never been clairvoyant, had never really even felt she had particularly attuned intuition. But ever since they'd returned through the time corridor, Sienna had not been able to shake this feeling that she had always been intended to die. That the Doctor's intervention was some fluke. She climbed out of the bed, hoping to hell she had it all wrong.

She found the Doctors in the console room deep in conversation. Dayle had apparently not woken up yet.

"Morning Doctors." Sienna murmured. "What's the good word?" Her Doctor immediately walked over to her and placed his arm around her waist. It was nuts just how much she loved that he did that.

"The word is _excellent._ " the Eleventh Doctor said with an enthusiastic clap of his hands. "It would seem that my esteemed colleague here was right on the nose about the inception point of this alternate timeline."

 _Damn._ Must have been a productive night for Eleven to be giving Five credit for much of anything.

Eleven pressed a few buttons on the scanner and pointed to the screen. "March 13, 2012 to be exact." He turned and grinned at her expectantly, rubbing his hands together frenetically.

She glanced at Five hoping for a hint. He gave her a small smile and said softly, "That is the exact day of the stellar collision in his universe. The day he came to this universe and met your mother...er... Dayle B."

Sienna was surprised at the relief she felt at their certainty. Maybe she had only been concerned all along because she was afraid they couldn't fix any of it. "Well this is great. So... what the hell do we do now?" she wondered, looking from one Doctor to the other. "Do we go back there to that day?"

"That was what we were just discussing." Five informed her with a sigh. "Before I came to Sugar Creek, I was attempting to find out about something that one of my future selves is supposed to do in that very same star system, only in this universe. When I attempted to travel to that star system on that day, the TARDIS wouldn't go anywhere near it. The closest I could get was five years after the fact."

Sienna narrowed her eyes at him. "Wait a minute. Isn't that where you took me my first time on the TARDIS? Where you found a double black hole or something like that?"

"That's correct." he confirmed, his expression unreadable.

"So... are the two incidents related?" Sienna was mystified.

Eleven and Five shared a look. "Yes, well... the thing is..." Five hesitated.

"The thing is that we traveled to the Malum system while you slept and found just the one black hole." Eleven concluded. He glanced at Five again.

"So what the hell does that mean? What's changed?" Sienna wanted to know.

After a moment of silence, Five cleared his throat and admitted, "We aren't entirely sure."

"But you're certain that-" Sienna began.

"That when you and I went to the Malum System before there was a binary black hole. I am certain. Yes." Five looked as confused as she felt.

"So does this mean you've changed your future? That maybe you didn't do...well... what you were told you would do?" she looked at him carefully, knowing how troubled he was by the topic.

He sighed. "I just don't know. For all we know the change is part of this alternate timeline. But, if it is, it's a consequence not a cause. And what we have to fix is the cause."

Dayle entered the control room looking sleepy. "Morning Doctors. What's the good word?"

Sienna and Five looked at each other and chuckled. They caught her up on all they'd discussed. And then they were right back to Sienna's initial question. What now?

"Since we can't travel back to put things right on March 13, 2012, we will simply have to go to the time and place that set all of this time distortion in motion." Eleven told them gravely.

"You mean back to the woods when we used the orb?" Dayle asked.

"Yes. That is what actually caused the alternate timeline." The Fifth Doctor confirmed. Sienna noticed that he looked a little uncomfortable.

Eleven continued, "The anti time from the orb from our universe seemed to almost cause an allergic reaction in this universe. It echoed back and back and back all the way to the point where a connection was made between the universes."

Sienna was getting a bad feeling and it wasn't long before Dayle caught up to her. "But wait a minute. You're saying we go back and keep the the anti time orb from detonating?" Dayle asked, looking at Eleven like she couldn't quite believe what they were implying.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, well. It will solve the problem." He avoided Dayle's eyes.

She gasped. "What about the Tregannon? What about you being killed? What the hell would have happened if we didn't use the fucking anti time orb?"

"Yeah... and anyway, how the hell do we go back and stop them from using the damn thing?" Sienna insisted, her arms crossed. She honestly couldn't believe that her Doctor would even consider this as a possible solution. Dayle looked ready to hyperventilate at the very idea. Sienna walked over to her and took her hand, glaring at the two Time Lords in disbelief.

"We would simply have to go back and remove the orb from Arc's ship where they found it... before they could find it." Eleven explained, looking down at the floor.

"So we just allow the Tregannon to escape and destroy the fucking world?" Dayle shouted. "We just let you stay dead after the thing strangled the life out of you? Brilliant idea."

"Seriously you two." Sienna added. "This is the very best you geniuses could come up with?"

"We never claimed it was the perfect plan." Eleven replied defensively. "Or that we've worked out all the kinks."

"And what exactly do you suggest?" Five asked Sienna, only sounding slightly less offended.

"Well the problem isn't the device right? It's the fact that it's a device from the wrong universe, right?" Sienna asked them.

"I suppose." Eleven agreed, clearly not seeing where she was going with this.

"Then just get an Anti Time Orb from this universe and swap em out. Can't you just do that?" Sienna questioned.

Silence.

After a moment, Five cleared his throat. "Yes... well..."

Eleven scratched his head awkwardly. "I mean... I suppose..."

"Seriously? The thought never occurred to either of you?" Dayle asked them incredulously.

Silence.

After a moment, Five cleared this throat once more. "Right. New plan!"


	25. Chapter 25

**_The second half of this chapter gets a bit adultish. Sexy warning... -Ruinous79_**

* * *

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS_

Once they'd agreed on the solution, the one problem remaining was how they would get their hands on another Anti-Time Orb. The Fifth Doctor had an idea but Eleven seemed to think he was being naive.

"You seriously think we're just going to be able to stroll into the Shadow Proclamation's Intergalactic Armory and say please and they're going to hand over a forbidden weapon?" Eleven gave an arrogant little laugh. "That's adorable."

"Hey." Dayle warned and elbowed her Doctor in the ribs.

Five narrowed his eyes but before he could verbally assault his counterpart, Sienna squeezed his hand almost painfully and shot him a look that said "behave."

He cleared his throat, counted to ten, then smiled somewhat coldly. "I never said I planned to ask."

 _The Shadow Proclamation, Intergalactic Armory_

"Back so soon?" The Shadow Architect's ruby red eyes regarded the Fifth Doctor suspiciously. They stood just inside the vestibule of the armory.

He grinned charmingly. "Yes, well. Your clerk Rox was just so helpful to me in providing information about the stellar manipulator, I thought he might be able to help me out with this other issue I'm having."

The Shadow Architect took a step toward him, her pale and stoic face unnerving up close. "Why this sudden interest in weapons Doctor? What exactly are you up to?"

He managed to return her stare unblinkingly. "I happen to be in the middle of a very serious situation involving a parallel universe." he began truthfully. "It started as something relatively small but now the Time Lords have gotten involved. Guess who they've recruited to deal with the problem." He crossed his arms after adding the bald faced lie, daring her to question him.

At this she finally broke eye contact, pressed her lips together. "The Shadow Proclamation wants no involvement in a Time Lord fiasco." She now sounded more frightened than mistrustful.

"Your involvement ends after a simple conversation with your armory clerk. I promise I won't return regarding this matter." He stared her down, trying his best to sound authoritative.

After just a moment's hesitation, the Shadow Architect nodded and gestured for him to follow her.

Once more she led him along the corridor, through the security door, down the stairs and into the reception area of the Intergalactic Armory.

The Sontaran clerk was talking on the phone to someone through a headset when they entered the room. He ended the call immediately when he spotted his boss approaching.

"Rox." She commanded, looking none too pleased. "I need you to assist the Doctor one last time. After this, he _won't_ be back." She gave The Doctor a final hostile look and departed.

The Doctor smiled broadly at the Sontaran. "Hello again Rox. I was wondering if you might be able to lend me your expertise on the tactical use of astral missiles."

Rox stood up a bit straighter, clearly pleased to be thought of as an expert. "Is there anything specific you're hoping to learn?" he wondered.

"Well, specifically, what is the acquisition range of the new Bavescula Torpedo? Is it as easily detected as the older series?" The Doctor was looking at the Sontaran with a convincingly curious expression. The clerk nodded, then came out from behind the desk, just as the Doctor had hoped he would.

"The new series has been improved." He cleared his throat and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Though, if I may say, it is not nearly as effective as the Y07 Infinity Rocket."

"Hmm." The Doctor looked skeptical. "I myself have heard mixed reviews on the Infinity. Do you happen to know of any sort of documented study comparing the two?"

At this, Rox looked positively delighted. "In fact sir, I do." He turned to head back behind the desk and the Doctor raised his arm and slammed his fist down on the Sontaran's probic vent. Rox crumpled to the ground and the Doctor bent down and pulled the ring of keys off his belt.

"Sorry about this old chap." the Doctor murmured as he stepped over him and headed behind the desk to the weapons cage.

 _The Shadow Proclamation, Courtyard_

Alarms announcing a security breach wailed and the Judoon guard were close behind as the Doctor ran for all he was worth back to the blue box parked at the perimeter.

Eleven was standing just inside the door to his TARDIS staring in open mouthed disbelief as Five entered out of breath. He closed the door behind him and handed over the blue case covered in Gallifreyan symbols.

"You may want to dematerialize about now." The Fifth Doctor commented calmly, removing his hat and coat and placing them on the rack near the door.

That seemed to snap the Eleventh Doctor out of it and he sprang into action. He set the case down near the console and threw the dematerialization lever just as the Judoon guards began pounding furiously on the outer doors.

He then turned and threw his arms out, looking a bit outraged. "Did you actually just _steal_ a forbidden weapon from the Shadow Proclamation? Is that what just happened?"

Five leaned against the console and grinned smugly. " _Steal_ is a strong word..."

Sienna walked over to him and looked him up and down, clearly impressed. "Such a savage." She murmured, then stood on tiptoe and boldly kissed him on the lips right in front of everyone. The Doctor did not try and stop her. In fact, he put his arms around her waist possessively and prolonged the kiss.

"Damn." he heard Dayle remark just as the kiss was ending. "First larceny and now lust. What _have_ you done to him Sienna?"

Sienna was blushing as she pulled back to look up at him with sparkling brown eyes. She smirked a bit. "Yes Doctor." she asked softly. "What _have_ I done to you?"

The Eleventh Doctor walked up then and physically separated them. "Time out Lolita and Humbert." he grumbled.

Sienna walked away, giggling and Five looked back at Eleven with an innocent expression.

"Seriously? How the _hell_ did you gain access to the weapons cage?" Eleven gestured in disbelief.

The Fifth Doctor crossed his arms. "Well, I simply informed the Shadow Architect that I had been recruited by the Time Lords on a mission involving a parallel universe. Then, I tricked the Sontaran armory clerk into turning his back on me and I hit him on the probic vent." He raised his eyebrows, quite pleased with himself. He was expecting more backlash for his morally questionable stunt but Eleven suddenly looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Wait, back up. You informed the Shadow Architect of... of _what_?"

Five blinked, surprised at how haunted his counterpart suddenly appeared.

"I-I told her I was working with the Time Lords...?" he began, uncertain if that was the part that had unsettled Eleven so.

"And why exactly would she believe _that_?" the Eleventh Doctor demanded, raising his voice.

Five looked over at Dayle and Sienna who were clearly uncomfortable with the confrontation. "Why don't we discuss this elsewhere?" he asked softly, trying to calm Eleven down.

"No. You tell me... did she believe you?" He no longer merely looked troubled or even just angry. He looked almost mad.

"Well, of course she did. Otherwise she'd have never allowed me back into the armory." Five was mystified at the change in reaction. "Why exactly would she _not_ believe me?"

"Where we just were. _When_ we just were. That was _after_ the Time War. This device..." Eleven kicked the blue case over carelessly. "This device was created during the Time War."

"Oi..." Five protested, carefully righting the case. He noticed Dayle was approaching the other Doctor now, looking concerned.

"Hey... just calm down." She said gently and placed a hand on his shoulder. He all but ignored her, still staring intently at Five.

"Yes. I've heard bits and pieces about this Time War, though I've been quite careful not to learn any details." The Fifth Doctor replied. "What exactly is your problem here?"

Eleven's eyes were dark and he took a moment to collect himself. "The Time Lords. The Time Lords in _my_ universe. They didn't survive the Time War. I'm the last one."

Five and Sienna both audibly gasped at this news.

Eleven sighed and finally took Dayle's hand. "If the Shadow Architect believed you when you said you were working with them, clearly the same did not occur in this universe." He smiled coldly, started to say something else, then walked away and headed down the corridor. Dayle followed him, looking back at the other two and offering an apologetic shrug.

* * *

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS_

Eleven and Dayle had opted to handle swapping out the Anti-Time orbs themselves since they both knew exactly where the ship was located. They left Sienna and her Doctor alone back at his TARDIS. It was probably for the best. Ever since they'd left the Shadow Proclamation, Eleven could scarcely stand to breathe the same air as Five though Sienna herself still couldn't quite understand why exactly that was.

When they got back to his TARDIS, the Doctor dematerialized and sent them into the vortex. "No sense in hanging about in such an uncertain timeline." he'd told her with a smile.

"So... when they've finished, do we think everything will be OK again?" Sienna wondered, trying not to sound as worried as she felt. "That everything will return to normal?"

He walked over and leaned against the console next to her. "I believe everything is going to be exactly as it should. This will undo any damage to the timeline and the Tregannon will still be gone and other me will still have survived the battle." He gazed at her silently for a moment. "And you are going to be just fine." He assured her with conviction.

She nodded, honestly feeling better about everything for the first time in a long time. After a moment's thought she laughed. "I cannot believe you actually just waltzed into a high security weapons armory and stole something." She looked up at him, shaking her head, amused.

"I had to." He told her simply, his beautiful blue eyes quite serious now. "It was the only way you could be safe. And I made a promise."

Sienna felt butterflies take flight in her stomach at his intensity. "You take this Guardian Angel business pretty seriously don't you?" she murmured, attempting to keep things playful.

He grabbed onto her arm suddenly and pulled her in toward him. She gasped in surprise as his arms wrapped around her tightly, keeping her from escaping. "Perhaps." he responded, his eyes still intense. "Though I must admit, I don't have the most saintly of intentions toward you at the moment." With that, his hands slid down her back and ended up on her hips, his fingertips grazing her ass. She very nearly hyperventilated.

"Is that so?" she asked, trying to sound tough. She was suddenly all too aware that they had finally found themselves truly alone. That nothing and nobody in this universe or any other could interrupt or stop anything they might start.

"Your heart is racing." he commented, peering at her curiously. "Are you still afraid of me?" A smile played at the corners of his mouth.

She narrowed her eyes, annoyed that he seemed to be teasing her. "I don't remember ever mentioning being _afraid_ of you." she pointed out.

"No, I believe you said you felt you were in over your head." He taunted, his hands now definitely completely on her ass. He studied her face to gauge her reaction.

She sighed and pushed him back hard against the console, grabbed him by his face and began to kiss him passionately. It was fairly obvious that the Doctor had gotten the exact reaction he'd been hoping for. His hands on her backside pulled her body against his and she was surprised to note he was quite worked up already. Jeez. What _had_ she done to him?

It turned into quite a serious and deep kiss rather quickly, one that Sienna was finding difficult to sustain because of the height difference. She pulled away for a moment to take a breath and to give her neck a break and before she even knew what was happening, he'd lifted her up, turned around and set her on the console. He then resumed kissing her enthusiastically, their faces now at just the right height.

He was really quite an amazing kisser for someone who supposedly didn't do that sort of thing. Sienna found herself making little sounds of pleasure, her hands gently caressing his face as his mouth crashed against hers. It wasn't lost on her that he had her in the perfect position should he decide to take this further. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She didn't actually believe he'd ever go that far.

He broke the kiss and she gratefully took a breath. He was breathless as well, and the expression on his face was one of pure lust. She gazed into his intense blue eyes, wondering what he would do next.

She most definitely did not expect it when he put his lips to her ear and breathed, "Shall I take you to bed?"

 _Oh shit,_ she thought, her eyes widening. He pulled back and studied her. It took her a moment to realize he was awaiting her response.

She cleared her throat and managed to whisper, "Yeah I think you'd better."

He put his hands under her ass to support her and carried her back to her room just like that, her legs wrapped around his waist. He was kissing her practically the whole way. He must have had every step memorized because he didn't bump her into a wall once.

When they reached the bedroom, the Doctor didn't bother to set her down or let go of her at all. He climbed on to the bed, her still clinging to his front and laid her down right in the center, now on top of her.

 _This cannot be happening._ She was in bed on her back with the Doctor's body between her legs and he was kissing her face off. It was wonderful and terrifying and frankly a bit surreal.

He stopped kissing her and propped himself up on his elbows. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, sounding as if he genuinely needed her instruction in the matter.

Sienna blinked up at him, unsure of how to handle this. She sincerely hoped she wasn't going to have to explain the mechanics of the act to him. "Well... uhh.." she stammered nervously.

He rolled his eyes and clarified. "Obviously, I know what you ultimately want me to do. I'm only asking what you want me to do next."

She gave him a dirty little smile. "Get undressed." she told him.


	26. Chapter 26

_Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, 3:00 am_

The Doctor awoke after just a few hours of sleep. Sienna was out cold, laying on her stomach, her head turned away from him. They were both still completely naked, a fact which only served to remind him of how far he'd gone. So far that he could no longer even see the line he'd crossed.

He sighed, sitting up against the headboard. Dayle had jokingly asked Sienna earlier _What have you done to him?_ Dayle was right. Sienna had indeed done something to him. She had rewired the circuitry in his brain somehow, rewritten his basic programming. He had committed the very offense that he swore he never would. He had actually fallen in love with a human. He had even entered into a sexual relationship with a human. But that wasn't the worst part. Wasn't the part that told him he was so fundamentally changed.

No. The part that made it clear he was no longer the same Time Lord he'd been when he'd first met Sienna Woods was the simple fact that he didn't even feel a little bad or ashamed about any of it.

He placed his hand gently on Sienna's bare back. She made a little sound in her sleep, talked some nonsense. He smiled realizing in that moment that she was perfect to him.

It was mad of course. It could never in a million years work between them. They weren't even technically the same species (though clearly quite compatible physically). He was over 800 years old, she was a rather young adult. He certainly had no intention of changing the way he led his life.

He ran his fingertips along her spine and she stirred and turned her head toward him. Her brown eyes flickered opened momentarily and she smiled sleepily. Then her lids closed once more and she fell right back to sleep.

Perfect, he thought.

No, the Doctor had no intention of changing the way he led his life but there was no reason he couldn't ask Sienna if she'd like to change hers.

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, 8:27 am_

The Doctor rematerialized the TARDIS in the spot they'd been before in the apartment parking lot and put it in cloaked mode. Eleven had said he would return back to this place and timezone at 8:30 am after they'd completed their task.

Sienna emerged from the corridor, her long brown hair wet from the shower, her feet bare as always. She blushed as soon as they made eye contact.

"You abandoned me." she accused softly with a smile. She sat in a chair near the console he was currently leaning against.

He couldn't help but grin back. "Or 'Good morning' as they say on earth." She laughed and it was about then they heard the sound of Eleven's TARDIS materializing next to them.

"They're back!" Sienna said excitedly, jumping to her feet. "Quick, give me a kiss before they get in here." she commanded, humor in her eyes.

He didn't even hesitate. He walked over to her, held her face gently in his hands and kissed her softly. In all of time and space, he'd never experienced anything better.

There was a knock on the door and he reached over on the console to open it. Eleven and Dayle walked right in both looking optimistic. The Fifth Doctor didn't even realize he'd been worried until he felt the sense of relief that came over him. It had been a success apparently.

"Right." Eleven exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Things should now be just as they were. We managed to switch out the devices and now we just wait and see how things turn out with the other Dayle.

"So... you're saying everything should be back to normal right now?" Sienna inquired, her brown eyes wide.

"That's correct. Things should have been put right immediately." Eleven told her with a smile.

"Well, why wait? I know one quick way to know for sure if things are back to normal." She walked right out the door of the TARDIS. Eleven and Five and Dayle all looked at each other, then Five followed her out curiously.

He found her standing beside Dayle B's Camry, her hand splayed out on the window of the back passenger seat. Through which the Doctor could see Gabe's car seat back in place.

"It's back." she said softly, tears in her eyes. "He's back." She looked up at him, and the happiness on her face was everything to him.

"That is wonderful news." he told her sincerely, putting his arm around her waist as they walked back to the TARDIS.

"It really worked." she marveled. "This should mean that Dayle remembers the other Doctor and the other Dayle _and_ you."

The walked through the door of his TARDIS. "That's correct." he confirmed. He saw that Eleven seemed to be testing the sturdiness of his console, his hands gripping the edges, shaking it back and forth.

" _Excuse_ me." Five protested, marching right up to his counterpart.

Eleven chuckled. "A bit wobbly, isn't it?" he asked, clearly looking to get a rise out of him. Dayle wasn't around to be disapproving for once.

"It's just fine, thank you." he replied politely, refusing to take the bait. His morning had gone far too well to ruin things now.

Sienna walked over and leaned against the console for a moment. "Oh believe me. It's sturdy alright." She raised an eyebrow at Five and smiled sweetly at Eleven. Then she walked away leaving Eleven looking at him in disbelief. "You _didn't._ " he whispered, clearly shocked.

The Fifth Doctor played dumb. "I have no idea what you mean." He pressed a few buttons on the console and pretended to check out the scanner.

"Oh don't give me that. I can't believe this." He paced a little, looking like someone whose entire belief system had been shaken to the core. " _You?_ Seriously. You did the deed with Sienna on the console?" He shook his head, his expression incredulous.

Five was surprised to find himself slightly offended that his counterpart was so surprised he could be capable of such things. "Of course not." he snapped.

Eleven stopped his pacing and looked at him, his eyes narrowed. "You didn't?"

"No. I only kissed her on the console. We did the deed in her bed." Five raised his eyebrows at Eleven, patted him on the back and walked away, leaving him standing in open mouthed surprise.

Dayle emerged from the corridor, looking at her Doctor curiously. "What'd I miss?" she asked.

Five cleared his throat, ready to change the subject. "Don't you think maybe we should go ahead and try speaking with the other Dayle?" he wondered.

Eleven finally snapped out of his shock and nodded. "I suggest the two of us go. If anything is still wrong here, we will avoid having to explain why she has a double or why the ghost of her daughter is with us." He seemed to realize he'd said something incredibly stupid the second it'd left his mouth. He closed his eyes. "So sorry." he said softly.

Sienna giggled. Five just clenched his jaw and muttered. "Let's go."

They hadn't even made it to the lobby when Jesse walked out carrying a bag of trash to the dumpster. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted them, dropped the bag of trash onto the asphalt.

" _Doctor?_ " he whispered in disbelief. He bounded directly up to Eleven and wrapped him in a hug.

The Eleventh Doctor was delighted to be recognized. "Jesse! It's lovely to see you." He returned the hug and patted the tall man on the back.

"So who is your friend here?" Jesse wondered, looking Five over curiously.

The Fifth Doctor's hearts almost stopped. If Jesse had never met him...

Eleven was looking between the two of them in confusion. "You mean you've never met?" he asked.

Jesse squinted at the Fifth Doctor for a moment then shrugged, retrieving the garbage bag from the ground. "Not that I know of." He walked over to the dumpster and tossed the bag in, then made his way back to the Doctors, hands in his pockets.

"So..." he began somberly. "Are you here because you heard what happened? To Dayle's daughter?"

"Oh no." Five whispered.

* * *

Sienna was looking through her phone, surprised to find that she hadn't received any more messages from her mother or Chris.

"So, how are things going?" Dayle asked, sitting down beside her.

Sienna looked up, knowing the idiotic grin on her face would be answer enough. But she still replied, "Pretty good I think." She blushed and looked at her feet.

"Hmm." Dayle sounded surprised. "I'm not often wrong. I would have never thought..." She studied Sienna. "How are you doing? You know you've been sober for nearly a week. You should be proud of yourself."

Sienna laughed humorlessly. "All it took was an alien in a time machine. I guess rehab is a little different for everybody.

Dayle chuckled. "Who gives a shit how. All that matters is-"

The Doctors suddenly burst through the door and Sienna knew immediately something was _not_ right. She stood up, already starting to tremble slightly.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Eleven put his face in his hands and made a sound of frustration. "This doesn't make any _sense_!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" Dayle insisted, standing beside Sienna now.

Five couldn't even look Sienna in the face. He looked rather ill actually.

"Still not right..." he was muttering. "I don't understand."

"Will someone please fill the humans in on what the fuck is wrong please?" Dayle shouted looking at the Eleventh Doctor.

Eleven pressed his lips together and looked at Sienna with a world of concern in his kind eyes. "I'm sorry. We haven't fixed everything." He looked away, scratched the side of his face.

Sienna felt her heart sink. "You mean... I'm still dead." A statement, not a question.

At her words, the Fifth Doctor suddenly walked over and hugged her tightly to him. "No. Don't say that. We can still fix this."

She pushed him away. " _How?_ You don't even know what's gone wrong. Hell, maybe nothing is wrong at all. Has it occurred to you that maybe I was never meant to survive past Tuesday?" She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling very cold.

"Stop saying that." The Fifth Doctor shouted. He was clearly not okay. Not even a little. The look in his eyes was breaking her heart. She softened toward him.

"Hey." she said, much calmer than she felt. "It's going to be alright. Let's just stop and think, okay?" She took his hand and led him through the corridors, back into the library. She looked around when they walked in. She realized she really did like his better than Eleven's.

"I love this room." she whispered, looking around. The Doctor stood frozen near a bookcase, looking a bit lost. She seated herself on a comfortable couch and patted the spot beside her. When he sat, she leaned over against him, very nearly in his lap. He held her tightly like he was afraid she might slip away. She sighed. It felt so good to be in his arms. Wasn't it just like her to find something perfect and then go and fucking die?

"Doctor..." she said after an extended silence. "I love you." She realized that the words weren't so hard to say when you were scared it might be your last chance to say them. When he didn't answer right away though, she did start to feel a tad bit stupid.

After a moment, he sat her up, his hands gripping her shoulders, looked her right in the eye.

"This feeling I have for you, it's taken over me. It's larger and stronger than any force I've encountered in all the solar systems. And I'm completely powerless against it." He shook his head. "I don't know if that's what love is, if that's what you feel. But if you think for one second, that I'm about to just give you up, you are seriously mistaken." Then he kissed her and she just melted.

That was _way_ better than 'I love you too'.


	27. Chapter 27

_Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS_

"I still don't see what you think the Sisterhood can do to help? Or why they would..." Eleven stared at his counterpart, clearly unconvinced.

The two Doctors were sitting having tea in the kitchenette and brainstorming ideas on how to resolve the problem with Sienna. Dayle had dragged Sienna off to relax in the jacuzzi, hoping to take her mind off the insanity while the Doctors tried to figure things out. They had all hopped into Eleven's TARDIS and dematerialized into the vortex. Sienna remaining in that timezone for any length of time was not an option.

As they'd feared, now that they'd jumped back in time to swap out the Anti-Time Orbs, the timeline had fully established itself. It was fact. Sienna, was actually dead in her universe, in what had been her life. Taking her out of time was the only solution, albeit a temporary one.

"Well, if I wasn't currently breaking just about every code and law of the Time Lords, I would head to Gallifrey and seek help there, wouldn't I?" Five pointed out, crossing his arms. "The next best bet is Karn. After all, Maren had absolutely no compunction about filling me in on that bit of business in the Malum Star System. She doesn't exactly play by the rules. Anyway, it's high time I check on my young friend Peri." He stood, carrying his teacup to the sink.

Eleven sighed and made a steeple of his fingers. "Doctor." he said after a moment. "You realize there may be nothing at all we can do here."

Five was standing at the sink staring at the cup in his hand. Eleven's words started a slow burn within him, not because his words were wrong, but because he was unwilling, perhaps unable to accept them.

He slammed the fragile cup into the sink with all his strength, smashing it into tiny fragments. He turned and looked at Eleven who sat blinking, stunned at the uncharacteristic display of temper.

The Eleventh Doctor cleared his throat and looked at his counterpart with something akin to compassion. A first to be sure. "I'm not saying we don't do everything possible. That we don't try. But you know as well as I do, we don't always win."

Five exhaled heavily, then gave a humorless laugh. "You know, I was about to ask her to come away with me. I bet you'd have never guessed." He grinned at Eleven, at the absurdity of the situation. A brilliant being who spent centuries not allowing himself to be ruled by his hearts had finally given in, and what had he gotten for it? The breathtaking creature he'd fallen in love with was destined to die. Just like that.

He laughed again. "The universe certainly has a twisted sense of humor. I'll give it that." He pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. "I'm behaving like a mad man. I am fully aware."

Eleven was silent, empathy written all over his face. "I would be far worse off than you, were I in your shoes." he admitted softly. "I'm not sure how you're functioning at all to be quite honest."

The Fifth Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I would call this functioning."

"Right." Eleven said, hopping up. "If you're going to Karn, I suppose we should return you to your TARDIS. Asking the Sisterhood to help in this matter is quite a tall enough order without confusing things with parallel universes and human associates."

 _Karn, Constellation of Kasterberous_

When the doors opened, he headed out onto the rocky surface of Karn. He was unsurprised to find a small group of the Sisterhood awaiting his arrival, standing in formation on the rust colored ground just outside the entrance to their cave. He stopped before them, silent. He waited.

The Reverend Mother, Maren came forward in her blood red robe, limping ever so slightly. "Time Lord." she accused. "You come here wanting our help?"

The Doctor blinked, feeling a troubling sense of deja vu. "Yes, well. To begin with, I wanted to check on my friend Perpugillium. I realize you said to only return when summoned but... something else has come up."

Maren's eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you playing at Doctor?" He saw that the entirety of the Sisterhood seemed to close in around them slightly. He was having a hard time coming up with a satisfactory answer. There was far too much at stake. He couldn't risk angering them.

"Look." he began. "I'm aware that I'm on shaky ground here. I'm aware that you didn't have to help my friend when she was injured. It was kind of you to do so. And I know there is no reason for you to help me now. But if you'd just hear me out-"

"Whenever in the name of Rassilon did we help an injured friend of yours?" Maren interrupted, clearly losing all patience with this conversation. "You speak nonsense. Has your toying around with time finally started to erode your grasp of cause and effect?"

The Doctor felt a sinking feeling at her words but he also knew that the Sisterhood were known to play games. He cleared his throat. "I'll ask you to explain just what you mean by that." He crossed his arms, afraid he knew already what she was going to say.

"Time Lord, do pay attention. What you speak of has not taken place. You never brought a friend here to be helped." She stepped closer. "And the friend you hope to help now... the girl from the woods. Well... it seems it's far too late for her. She's already dead." There was an infuriating smugness to her expression. Like she was genuinely pleased to share this news with him.

He stood frozen, feeling dizzy and positively terrified. This couldn't be. He'd come to the correct timezone. Peri's time. Days after he'd dropped her here to be cared for by the Sisterhood. Yet he could see now in the Reverend Mother's eyes that she spoke the truth.

Without another word, the Doctor simply turned and walked back to his TARDIS. When the door closed behind him, he leaned against it, his head pounding, adrenaline coursing through his system.

 _How?_ There was simply no logical explanation for anything in his timeline changing. He wasn't part of the anti-time situation. How had something from his past that he recalled happening disappeared? Like his arrival in the parking lot, punching out Sienna's ex boyfriend. How had that simply _un_ happened? There was still something missing. A piece of chaos that he could have never foreseen. And that he certainly couldn't remember.

And there was something that Maren had said that he just couldn't shake from his mind.

 _Has your toying around with time finally started to erode your grasp of cause and effect?_

Had it?

He stumbled to the console, in tears, and utterly, completely lost. He sent the TARDIS aimlessly into the vortex. He knew he couldn't return to face Sienna without a solution. He needed time. Now, more than ever, he needed time.

And hell really had frozen over, because he finally admitted to himself that Eleven might be right. There may be nothing at all he could do.

* * *

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS_

It didn't make sense that he'd be gone so long. It seemed to Sienna that the advantage of time travel was never having to wait. And yet they waited.

They had arranged to meet on the planet Radspil, 20 Febrary 2020 at 2:20 pm. Eleven had even brought Dayle and her a couple hours early in the day, hoping to show them around the blue swamps. Unfortunately, there had been some sort of political uprising involving the planet's rebels so they stayed put in the TARDIS television room, twiddling their thumbs.

When 2:25 rolled around, Sienna began to worry, even though Eleven continued to tell the two of them funny stories as if nothing at all were amiss. By 2:40, even Eleven was concerned, though he tried to hide it. Sienna had learned that his fidgeting grew worse when he was worrying. It was his tell.

By 3:00, Sienna was a total wreck. "Doctor. We need to do something. There is no reasonable explanation for his failure to return."

Eleven gestured helplessly. "I've tried texting and none of my messages are getting through."

Dayle leaned toward him on the sofa. "Babe. What the hell could that mean? He was able to get messages from a different fucking universe." Her blue eyes were troubled.

Eleven sighed and stood. "It means we probably ought to head to Karn."

 _Karn, Constellation of Kasterberous_

He warned the women that it might be dangerous for them to set foot on Karn. "The Sisterhood is very unpredictable. They generally only help people when it's in their best interest. If there is something to be gained." He shrugged. "And I just don't trust them."

Sienna was surprised to find that the Doctor looked almost frightened. Dayle and her shared a look.

"I think we'll be coming with you." Dayle declared, Sienna nodding her consensus.

The women walked out behind the Doctor, grasping each other by the hand. The planet they'd landed upon was rust red, rocky and seemingly barren. There was a series of caves off to the right of the TARDIS. Near the entrance stood what Sienna assumed to be the Sisterhood. A couple dozen creepy bitches cloaked in red, eyeballing the travelers as they approached with varying degrees of hostility.

One such red robed woman stepped forward to greet them. "Strangers." she spat, like an accusation. "You are not welcome on this planet." She stared at all three of them with narrowed eyes.

"Reverend Mother Maren." The Eleventh Doctor greeted softly. "It has been quite a while."

The woman, Maren took a step back, seemingly caught off guard by him. "You're... a Time Lord..." she hissed uncertainly.

"Well yes. I'm the Doctor. We met many years ago. Many lives ago for me." He tried to keep a pleasant smile on his face but Sienna could see he was struggling to maintain his composure. Something wasn't right here. Even she knew that.

"No." Maren replied simply. "Who are you, _really_?"

The Doctor blinked at her response. "I assure you. I am the Doctor. The Eleventh incarnation to be precise." He suddenly didn't sound too sure himself. Sienna felt a chill run through her.

Maren smirked. "And I assure you. I have seen each of the Doctor's faces. And I have never laid eyes on you." She studied him, raking him over from head to toe. She no longer looked suspicious. Now she looked curious, a bit confused. "And I can also assure you. The Doctor never makes it to Eleven. I know this as sure as I breathe. So... as before I ask, _who are you?_ "

Sienna could keep quiet no longer and stepped forward. "What do you mean he never makes it to Eleven?" Dayle grabbed her arm, pulled her back behind the Doctor.

Maren didn't seem especially upset with her outburst though. In fact, she regarded her with amusement. "Human. The girl from the woods." Now she looked positively intrigued. "The friend who is dead already. And somehow, loved by a Time Lord. Remarkable."

Sienna swallowed, repeated herself, more softly this time. "The Doctor. He was here? What's happened? And why do you say he never makes it to Eleven?" She looked at the Reverend Mother pleadingly. "Please. Tell me."

"The Doctor just left here. And _he_ is the last Doctor. The Fifth." Sienna gasped and Maren squinted at her. "He was confused. He was talking nonsense of having been here before with an injured girl. He was in quite a terrible state when he left."

"You mean he hadn't been here? He hadn't brought Peri to be healed?" Eleven demanded, now looking positively haunted.

"No." Maren boomed. "And I must insist you all go now." For the first time, the Reverend Mother looked thoroughly unsettled. "There's something terribly wrong with the timeline. Something off. And you aren't even of this universe... are you?" she asked him.

Eleven began to back away from the Sisterhood. He grabbed Sienna and Dayle by their hands and half dragged them back to his TARDIS.

"But we haven't got any answers yet!" Sienna shouted at him as he pushed them through the doors.

"Yes! What is happening here? Why don't they remember his earlier visit?" Dayle chimed in, her arm around Sienna who felt like she might well throw up.

"I don't know. But if I were him, I would have traced back to the very thing that brought me here. We must go to Salutaris. Maybe Peri never got injured at all in this new timeline. Maybe they were never even there." Eleven headed to the console, looking determined. He punched buttons and pulled a lever.

"You think that's where he's gone?" Sienna asked hopefully over the sound of the wheezing engines.

"It's what I would do." he replied somberly, his hazel eyes a bit bewildered.

 _Salutaris, The Malum Solar System_

The Doctor was looking at the scanner nervously as they rematerialized. "There is definitely another TARDIS here. Another Doctor."

"So... that means the _earlier_ Doctor...with the Peri chick? Or the one we're looking for?" Dayle voiced exactly what Sienna had been thinking.

Eleven frankly looked at a loss for words.

 _I guess wonders never cease._ Sienna mused sardonically.

"I'm honestly not sure." He admitted finally. "We must be very, very careful here though. We musn't interfere with events. Things have already gone quite wonky enough I should think." He sighed.

"So how do we find this other TARDIS?" Sienna wanted to know

"I think it's best if _we_ do nothing and leave this to me." He checked his pockets for his Sonic Screwdriver, and seemed to feel more secure once he had it in hand. "You ladies stay put. I won't be long."

Dayle blew out a sigh and crossed her arms once he'd gone. "This is all getting way too fucked up. When the Time Lord can't even get a grip on time..." She chuckled darkly. "Sienna, this is crazy."

Sienna nodded her agreement and they both sat down in chairs near the console. They stayed quiet like that for nearly thirty minutes. When forty five minutes had passed and there'd been no word, they started to chat nervously. After an hour, Dayle got up and tried to figure out the scanner.

"We need to see what's going on out there." She gestured in confusion then shrugged and seemed to pick a button at random. The scanner came to life and they could see that they had landed inside a corridor. Dayle managed to sweep the viewer all around the outside of the TARDIS. They saw the entrance to a staircase, the doorway to some type of control room. And crumpled in the corner nearby, they could also see...

"Oh shit!" Sienna gasped, jumping to her feet. "Is that...?"

Dayle nodded, her hands to her mouth. "I think that must be his friend. Sienna I think she's dead."

Sienna didn't think. She just acted. She ran out of the doors and knelt beside the young woman. Peri was covered in blood, fatally wounded in the abdomen and right thigh. Dayle joined her wordlessly. Felt for a pulse.

"Just barely there." she murmured helplessly.

Sienna was devastated. This was the Doctor's friend. If she died, he would definitely blame himself. Clearly something had gone wrong. Something had kept him from taking her to Karn to be helped. And she had the worst feeling, his timeline had been affected by her somehow. Like their meeting had somehow poisoned both of their lives. She sighed, tears running down her face.

Without another word, she leaned forward, laid one hand on Peri's stomach and the other on her badly cut leg.

"Sienna..." Dayle warned softly. But she was too late.

Sienna breathed in the pain...


	28. Chapter 28

_Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, The Time Vortex_

The TARDIS was behaving strangely. The Doctor had finally decided that as risky as it was, his best bet was to head back to Salutaris at the time he and Peri landed. The day she'd been injured.

It was the logical first step to finding where exactly his own timeline had changed. Why he'd never made it to Karn with Peri. Once he'd recovered from being so shaken over this latest encounter with the Reverend Mother, he'd set the TARDIS on its way. That was when things began to get peculiar.

When he initiated the dematerialization sequence, he noticed a delayed response time. He pressed the buttons, threw the lever and... nothing happened. Before he could even look into what might have gone wrong though, the rotor seemed to catch up to his input and performed its usual function. He blinked in surprise but didn't think too much of it.

Next he pulled up his travel history log on the console computer to find the precise space-time coordinates of his last visit to the planet. The monitor abruptly blinked off and the engines began to stutter. "Interesting." he mumbled, his eyes narrowed at the control panel. Suddenly his ship began to shudder slightly so he adjusted the inertial dampers in response. The shuddering stopped but the lights in the room faded to darkness momentarily, then came back on.

When the engines stuttered again, he shouted, "What is the meaning of this, Old Girl?" He pounded a spot on the console with his fist and the computer's monitor came back up. "There now." he stated with a nod. He found the trip to Salutaris in his log and copied the coordinates to the nav system. That was when the whispers began.

 _Wh-wh-who's there?_

The ghostly echo of Sienna's voice made the Doctor freeze in place, his hand hovering over the lever.

 _No need to be frightened. I won't harm you._

Their first words to one another in the woods. The day they'd met. A day that seemed now to never have taken place at all. Jesse didn't know him after all. He clearly hadn't been there to rescue Sienna from Chris.

 _I'm not frightened._

The Doctor whirled around, his eyes looking all around the console room. "What's happening?" he whispered, actually becoming a bit frightened himself.

 _What on earth are you doing out here by yourself in the dark? It could be terribly dangerous._

He turned back to the console, his hands shaking now. He threw the lever, ignoring the cloister bell's ominous _bong_.

Sparks actually began to shower down from the rotor. He backed up several steps from the console in surprise.

 _Who are you?_ Sienna's voice asked eerily.

That was when he began to feel off. It started as a bit of dizziness which turned into full blown vertigo. The fact that his ship was once again shaking violently didn't help matters. He just managed to stumble forward and catch himself on the console. He switched to manual nav and engaged the throttle. "I'm not sure why you're fighting me." he gasped, his breathing a bit shallow. "But I suspect time has gone very wrong. And that's all the more reason for me to investigate what's happened."

He leaned into the console and switched on the gyroscopic stabilizers. The TARDIS evened out though the cloister bell continued to sound and he felt extremely lightheaded. He slid to the floor, his head in his hands, trying to breathe normally. The TARDIS began to rematerialize as it usually did, no more pyrotechnics or convulsions.

His own spectral voice echoed through the console room one final time as the Doctor climbed back to his feet to check out the scanner.

 _Pleased to meet you Sienna Woods. Cheer up, won't you? The night has ended. It's a brand new day._

 _Salutaris, Malum Star System_

The Doctor thought his instruments must have been affected by whatever had caused the temporal disturbance. Because strangely, a scan showed not one, but two other TARDISes already on planet. "So what does that mean?" he mumbled, peering curiously around the outside of his ship with the scanner.

He had materialized purposefully (and for once, accurately) on the South end of Nirais park. It was nearby the militarized zone where he and Peri had mistakenly wound up, but this location kept him concealed enough not to interfere with his own past events.

Feeling only moderately nauseous now, but still definitely off, he set out to discover if this was where the problem started. He headed along a path bordered by purple plants with large round leaves. It was early evening on Salutaris and the sky was a startling shade of green as the two suns set.

When he reached the large compound that housed the planet's military base, he sneaked around to the side and found a delivery entrance into the basement at the bottom of a ramp. It took him no time at all to pick the lock. (Salutaris was certainly not known for their military defense capabilities.) Almost immediately upon gaining entry, the Doctor felt the familiar tickle in the back of his mind of telepathic connection. His eyes narrowed. A Time Lord nearby. What's more, another _him_ nearby. What's _more_ , it was bloody Eleven.

"What the hell have you done?" he whispered fiercely. He headed directly to other him through the basement corridor. The ability to find another Time Lord was a bit like having built in GPS.

He rounded a corner and ran directly into the Eleventh Doctor who didn't look at all surprised to see him either.

" _There_ you are!" Eleven said in exasperation. "I was wondering when you were going to turn up. We went to Karn when you failed to show up at our meeting place. Decided we'd better check here."

Five set his jaw angrily. "What ever possessed you to bring yet another TARDIS into the mix? I know you can't _possibly_ be that stupid. If you've changed anything-"

"Settle down there Captain Cricket. I've not encountered past you or Peri or the other, _other_ TARDIS." He put his hands on his hips. "Tell me what exactly happened here and perhaps we can figure out if anything's gone wrong."

The Fifth Doctor was suddenly overcome by another wave of dizziness. He had to lean against the wall of the corridor for a moment until it passed.

Eleven watched him curiously. "What's the matter with you?" he asked.

Five closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths. "Something has gone very wrong with time. I can feel it. My TARDIS could too." He opened his eyes and looked at Eleven very seriously. "I'm getting the sense that some type of retrocausality has occurred. And what's more, I'm having a hard time dismissing your presence here as a mere coincidence to that fact."

Eleven suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "I-I-I'm sorry. I was very shaken up after my encounter with the Sisterhood and Sienna was just beside herself. We thought something terrible had happened to you." He scratched his head, avoiding his counterpart's eyes. "Clearly I didn't think this through."

Five groaned and pushed himself away from the wall. "Where are Sienna and Dayle right now?" He felt well enough to get moving and wanted to do so immediately.

"They're back at my TARDIS. When we materialized, I made absolute certain that we weren't right on top of another TARDIS. I wound up in a dark corridor near some type of command center or control room." Eleven explained, already starting to walk back in that direction.

Five had started to follow but stopped short and grabbed Eleven's shoulder, his eyes wide. "Did you say control room?" He squeezed the other Doctor's shoulder and shouted, "How long ago was this? How long have you been here?"

Eleven was thrown off by the Fifth Doctor's panic stricken reaction. "W-w-well. I suppose it's been maybe an hour? I've searched all over this level, was headed upstairs next. What's wrong? What are you so afraid of?"

Five slammed his fist into the wall. Sixty minutes. Sixty minutes for everything to have changed. And all it took was the simple movement of a butterfly's wings to change the course of history. What was he afraid of? He was afraid he knew _exactly_ why he'd never brought Peri to Karn. He gave Eleven a shove in the direction they'd been headed. "We need to go, _now._ "

* * *

 _Nirais Park, Salutaris_

Sienna regained consciousness abruptly and found herself on the floor of the Eleventh's Doctor's control room. Her eyes flew open and she could hear quite a lot of shouting. Easy to see what had jarred her awake so rapidly

"No, there _is_ no solution at this point. _Everything_ has been destabilized thanks to her interference." she heard her Doctor shouting at the top of his lungs. Groggy as she was, it wasn't hard to figure out the "she" he was talking about.

She sat up slowly and was greeted with a tremendous head rush. _Fuck me running,_ she thought, her hand to her head.

"Guys, she's awake now." Dayle exclaimed. She came over and knelt down beside her. "Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

Before Sienna could reply, the Fifth Doctor decided he wasn't quite finished being a shouty dickhead. "How she _feels_ is hardly relevant." he spat angrily. "It's only a matter of time until she-"

" _Alright!_ " Eleven interrupted, sounding like he'd had enough of Five's outbursts. "We get it. The situation is extremely not good. I should think screaming about it isn't going to help matters. Let's just calm down for a moment. As I was saying, there must be _something_ we can do here. We just need to think."

The Fifth Doctor scoffed and Dayle touched Sienna's shoulder gently. "Ignore them." she whispered. "Just another pissing contest. Why don't we get you up off the floor and onto a couch at the very least." She started to help her up.

Sienna was a bit wobbly on her feet but was able to walk just fine. "I'm okay. I don't need to lay back down." She looked over at the Fifth Doctor who was leaning against the far wall of the console room ready to spit fire. He certainly didn't appear too concerned about her well being. He wouldn't even look at her.

"Where are we exactly?" she asked Dayle, her voice shaky. The Fifth Doctor's anger made it pretty clear she had screwed up big time and she was scared.

"We are still on Salutaris. In the park right beside his TARDIS." Eleven told her softly, gesturing to Five. "Don't worry, we're cloaked." He was fiddling with some knobs on his control panel. He looked quite pale.

Sienna sighed and started to approach her Doctor cautiously. Dayle put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Sienna. Now's probably not a good time. Why don't we go chill in the TV room for a bit?"

"Just give me a second." she whispered and headed over to him. She couldn't bear for him to be upset with her and she needed to know exactly what was going on.

"Hey." she greeted him softly when she reached him. She chewed at her lip nervously, her brown eyes studying him.

She saw his jaw was clenched, like he was trying to restrain himself. She wished he'd just go ahead and scream at her and get it over with.

When he remained silently staring at the floor in front of him, unwilling to even speak to her, she cleared her throat. "So... are you gonna tell me what's happened or not?"

"Sienna..." The Eleventh Doctor broke in suddenly. A warning.

Five finally looked at her and she had never seen him look so hateful in the time she'd known him. Not even towards Eleven. "You want to know what's happened?" He asked her softly, coldly. " _You_ happened. This whole time I've been killing myself, wondering what the problem was. All along it was _you_."

"I didn't-"

"You are what changed my timeline." His voice had risen but Sienna suspected he was just getting warmed up. "You healed Peri so I had no reason to take her to Karn. So I had no reason to find that damned stellar manipulator, so I never _met_ you in those woods." He looked at her like she was the biggest idiot he'd ever met. She was beginning to agree.

Sienna's voice sounded hoarse. "So you couldn't be there to stop Chris. So he killed me." She nodded and looked down at her hands. "Fucking awesome. I pretty much killed myself."

"So it would seem." he said harshly. "And not only that, your actions have created a paradox. If you died in the parking lot of the grocery store, how could you have come here to heal my friend? Hmm? It's impossible. And there's no telling what other kinds of repercussions will arise because of it."

"Okay, I think that's quite enough of story time." Dayle said, sounding rather pissed off at Five. She came over and linked her arm with Sienna's. "Let's go babe."

The Fifth Doctor suddenly made a loud sound of frustration and got right in Sienna's face, startling both her and Dayle. " _What have you done?"_ he shouted.

"That is most definitely _enough._ " Eleven yelled right back. He walked over and pushed Five away from the women, hard. "If you'd like to be angry with somebody. If you'd like to _scream_ at somebody, scream at me ay. This is _my_ fault, _not_ hers. I brought them here. I left them alone."

Five sneered at him. "Oh don't worry. I _am_ angry at you. But there's more than enough blame to go around." He sighed and put his face in his hand, laughed wearily. His eyes went to Sienna once more who was standing a bit further away now, Dayle's arms around her protectively. He shook his head at her, looking resigned. "How could you?" The anger had gone right out of him and now he just sounded tired and sad.

Eleven lowered his voice as well. "She couldn't have known. She just saw somebody hurt and tried to help." Five shook his head once more and headed for the door.

Eleven called after him. "When you calm down a bit, you'll see that."

Sienna swallowed a sob and her eyes filled. "I'm a fucking idiot." she said, incredulous. She walked away from the two of them for a moment, her hand over her mouth.

Then she walked back and stood in front of Eleven, tears streaming down her face."What's going to happen now? And I could give two shits about myself. What have I caused? Will anyone else be hurt because of me?" her voice broke.

The Eleventh Doctor immediately put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Hey. No. You've done nothing wrong. You are a healer and you only followed your instincts. And he _will_ calm down and he _will_ see that." He pulled back and looked at her, his arm still around her shoulder. "The paradox isn't really as big of a problem as all that. We've both fixed far worse." He scratched his face, cleared his throat. "He's angry because... well..."

Sienna nodded and took a deep breath. "Because even if you fix the paradox, I'm still dead."

Eleven's eyes looked positively devastated. He nodded.

She stepped out from under his arm and paced a bit. "So tell me what happened. After I healed Peri." She looked up at Dayle, cracking her knuckles.

Dayle had tears in her eyes but she tried to regain some composure to answer. "After you healed Peri, she just stood right up and was perfectly fine." Dayle shook her head, clearly still amazed by what she'd seen. "She was a very sweet girl. She helped bring you into the TARDIS. And then... Then the other Doctor, the one from the past came bursting out of a nearby room. I guess he'd been knocked out in there and Peri had tried to escape and had been attacked by some creature with a sword."

Sienna closed her eyes and shook her head. She really had fucked up. She could see now exactly what had happened. When she and Dayle had found Peri, she assumed that something had already changed in the past. That the Doctor wouldn't be there to take Peri to Karn. But if she'd only waited, the Doctor was right there in the next room, regaining consciousness. And he would have come out, found Peri and gone on with the original course of the timeline.

"When the Doctor found us there, he looked up and saw the TARDIS and as you can imagine, he was pretty confused." Dayle continued. "Hell, you should've seen the look on Peri's face when she saw this console room." She chuckled. "Once we convinced him that Peri was fine, despite the large amount of blood on her clothes, he told me that he really couldn't risk running into his other self from the future and they just left. I tried to stop him. Tried to tell him something might be wrong. He wasn't hearin it." Dayle shrugged. "It wasn't long before the other two came along. And...you can imagine how that went down." She looked at her feet.

Sienna nodded, remembering the look of hatred in the Doctor's eyes. Yeah. She could imagine.


	29. Chapter 29

_**The middle of this chapter turns NC-17 rather quickly. There are no graphic details, it's mostly comical and it's fairly brief but...look, if you're offended by oral sex, stop reading after Sienna and the Doctor kiss and make up. You can resume 2 hours later. ;) -Ruinous79**_

* * *

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS_

Five sat by himself in his library, the book of verses he'd pulled down to read remained unopened in his lap. He had come away to stop thinking about the important things for just a moment. Because he felt as if he might well lose his mind if he didn't. He had to stop thinking of Sienna. Had to stop thinking of the fact that she was now on borrowed time.

Once in the comfort of his favorite room, he found he could think of nothing else of course. The TARDIS was sustaining her life outside of time but he expected that within two or three days, even the TARDIS would give in to the disrupted timeline.

And he wasn't quite sure how he would be able to move forward. Eleven was right. There were ways to shore up any consequences from the paradox that had been created. But he couldn't think of a single way to save the woman that he loved. And it was killing him.

Naturally instead of saying that, he'd lashed out and made her feel terrible. Because clearly her situation wasn't already frightening enough, he had to act like a stark raving maniac. She had actually looked _afraid of him_ after he'd shouted in her face. He sighed and threw the Treasury of English Poetry into the chair next to him.

And while he sat feeling sorry for himself, time was running out. And time was all they had.

And through all this brilliant self awareness, the Doctor still couldn't bring himself to go to her. What could he possibly say for himself?

He was startled when the Eleventh Doctor entered the dimly lit library from the corridor. He didn't speak. He quietly seated himself across from Five and sat back with his hands folded in his lap. Waiting.

When the silence got awkward enough, Five cleared his throat. "What exactly are you doing here?" he asked his counterpart wearily.

Eleven stared him down, his facial expression unreadable. When he spoke, he kept his voice conversational. "I'm just trying to decide if you're actually as big of an asshole as you seem to be."

The Fifth Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I see the humans are rubbing off on you. Quite a sophisticated vocabulary you've picked up."

"How much longer do you think that girl over there has?" Eleven asked, his voice still casual. "Because I'm guessing 48 hours, maybe 72 tops. And instead of spending that time with her, you're sitting alone pouting. Tell me, is it solving anything?"

Five sighed. "I'm well aware of the fact that I'm not handling this gracefully. I must have missed the unit at the Time Lord Academy that taught us how to cope with this particular situation." He laced his hands together and looked down at them.

The Eleventh Doctor rolled his eyes and gripped the arms of his chair. "Nobody is expecting you to say or do the _right_ thing. There is no _right_ way to handle this. But I can tell you for certain there's a wrong way and you've really seemed to knock that one out of the park." He leaned forward. "Stop being such a fool. I'm going back and sending her over here. We can meet up in the morning. I have a few ideas and I'm sure you will as well."

He stood up and started to walk out. He stopped, his back still turned. "If you treat her like that again, you're going to see a whole different side of me. And it won't be anything nice." And then he was gone.

Five shook his head. Now the other Doctor had really made him angry. Because he actually found himself _liking_ the bastard for being so protective of Sienna. The fact nearly triggered his gag reflex.

But he knew that everything Eleven had said was true. And he realized he was grateful that he was sending Sienna his way. Now he just had to figure out how not to screw things up. He stood and headed toward the corridor.

The Doctor had intended to meet her in the console room but he stopped outside the door to her bedroom. He cracked the door open and looked in. The room was so very her. It was sort of dark and moody but that only made it more interesting. It felt young and fun but there was something undeniably sophisticated about it as well.

He walked in and sat down on the bed. The copy of East of Eden from his library sat on the bedside table. He picked it up and flipped through the pages, speed reading bits and pieces while he awaited Sienna's return.

He'd always liked Steinbeck. On the surface his stories were filled with hard-scrabble, salt of the earth characters clawing their way through their circumstances but there was always a surprising undercurrent of insight and poetry to be found.

His eyes scanned the pages and stopped when they came to a line that did something to his hearts.

 _My father said she was a strong woman, and I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is almost indestructible._

"Hey..." Sienna's voice made him look up. She stood in the doorway looking almost scared to enter. He could see she'd been crying and it was like a punch in the stomach that he'd done this to her.

He immediately dropped the book and stood. She watched him with her big brown eyes, like she was unsure of how he might act toward her. After just a moment's hesitation, he walked to her, took her face in his hands gently and leaned his forehead against hers. "Sienna, I'm-"

"Shut the fuck up and kiss me." she breathed. So he did.

The kiss started out as a reconciliation, warm and soft and loving. It didn't take long for it turn into something far more primitive. He backed her into the door and kissed her aggressively, a familiar fire now burning within him. He didn't have the first clue what being addicted to heroin was like but he imagined that his need for her was something comparable. Her mouth against his was the most potent rush he'd ever known. It burned through his veins and drove him out of his mind.

Suddenly Sienna broke away and told him breathlessly "Back up." He obliged, taking a few steps backwards in to the room. He felt a bit confused until she caught up to him and started to take his clothes off of him, being none too gentle about it. As his clothes came off, she had her mouth all over him. His neck, his shoulders, his chest. After she unzipped his trousers she raked her fingernails lightly down his chest as she kissed her way down his stomach. She stopped when she got to her knees and looked up at him with a wicked smile on her face.

He looked down at her, his hearts pounding as she pulled his trousers down. She started to caress him through his pants while she ran her mouth all along his lower abdomen.

It took him a moment to register what exactly she intended to do. When he figured it out, he started to voice his protest. Until she actually began to do it. Strange, but suddenly he couldn't think of a single valid reason to put a stop to it. He gasped.

In fact, he felt the polite thing to do would be to tell her what an excellent job she was doing. He started to do just that but the best he could come up with was "Mmm. Yes. Oh yes..." Not quite what he'd been aiming for but he supposed it was at the very least encouraging _._

He moaned and his hands found their way into her hair. He was really going to have to stop her. Truly he was. Because he wasn't going to be able to-

She abruptly stopped and stood up, grinning at him. He stood blinking at her breathlessly.

"What's the matter Doctor?" Her eyes were innocent as she started to undress herself. He had no words so he just took the opportunity to catch his breath.

* * *

Sienna had never been too crazy about going down on guys so she was surprised to find out how much it turned her on with the Doctor. It was the ultimate power trip she supposed. Rendering him completely speechless was just a bonus.

When she was undressed she walked up and wrapped herself around his body. He regarded her with a bit of humor in his features, his eyes squinted slightly.

She smiled up at him, curious. "What's on your mind?" she wondered.

"Why don't I show you?" he murmured, picking her up unexpectedly and tossing her onto the bed. She squealed and started to giggle.

He climbed on top of her and she loved the feel of his skin against hers. She looked into his eyes for a moment. Then couldn't resist being a smartass. "Do I need to explain the way this works again?" she laughed.

He looked like he was seriously thinking about it. "Hmm. I'm actually feeling quite innovative..." He gazed into her eyes for a moment longer, then slowly began to kiss his way down her body.

She certainly wasn't laughing a few minutes later.

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, Two Hours Later_

Sienna lay wrapped in a beautiful man's arms after the best sex of her life and contemplated her death. She wondered what it would be like. Would there be pain? Or would she just sort of blink out like a TV screen? She was scared of course. She would have to be some kind of nutcase not to be. But the most overwhelming feeling she had about the whole thing was what a fuckin rip off this was.

Sienna had felt like an outcast her entire life. She'd always been called overly sensitive. (At 23 she still hadn't figured out why that was supposed to be an undesirable trait in a person.) She was also stubborn and had a terrible temper. She never felt she fit in with her mom and dad, even though she loved them and was grateful for all they'd given her. She couldn't understand their stress on religion over common sense. On outside appearances over sincere family connections. And then came the bad friends and the even worse boys.

Her emotions just always seemed to be slightly out of her control. It was like the world expected her to rein in her feelings, both positive and negative. The drugs seemed to help with that at first. But she always found herself in the victim role. She really dove into the pity party when she found out about Dayle being her mother.

And then suddenly. The Doctor came into her world. And she got to know Dayle and Jesse and Gabe. And she didn't feel like such an outcast anymore. Then of course, she went and fell in love. And it was the first time in her life that she felt she didn't have to hold anything back. And she didn't want to.

She turned over and faced him, unsurprised to find him wide awake, looking sad. She touched his face gently. "Quit looking like that or I'll smack you." she whispered.

He chuckled. "I have learned that you do enjoy a little violence." He rolled to his back and pulled her in close.

She giggled. "You have learned all _sorts_ of things today. And gold star for your innovativeness by the way." She snuggled into his chest and threw a leg over his.

They were both quiet for a time. "Sienna." he began softly. "I've not given up. I've not just given in to your fate. If there is any way, anything at all I have to do, to keep you safe, that's what's going to happen."

His words brought tears to her eyes. Not because she really believed that anything could be done at this point, but because she believed he meant them with all his hearts. She turned her head to look up at him and felt lucky. Because even though she'd been through some terrible shit and here it was, almost over, since she'd met the Doctor she'd known actual adventure and seen breathtaking sights and had the chance to be truly brave. And she'd been loved in a way she'd never witnessed outside of stories. She stretched up and kissed him. Her hero. Her guardian angel. She supposed as long as he was beside her until the end, she'd be alright no matter what happened.

"Why don't you tell me some things about you." She said softly. "You know pretty much everything about me. Tell me something about you that nobody else knows."

He rolled over to face her then, a small smile on his lips. He tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear and leaned forward to whisper something.

Her eyes widened. "Wait. Is that... your name?" She tilted her head and looked at him in amazement. "Now that's just fucking weird."

There was silence for a few seconds and then they both cracked up laughing.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're sort of a terrible human being?" he asked her, sounding exasperated but cheerful.

She giggled and bit his upper arm kind of hard. " _Ow!_ " he exclaimed, still laughing.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." she bragged.


	30. Chapter 30

_Fifth Doctor's TARDIS_

The next morning, the Doctor and Sienna had no sooner reached the console room when Eleven came bursting through the door.

"Do you _ever_ knock?" Five complained.

"It wasn't you!" Eleven blurted, breathless from running.

The Fifth Doctor blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"The Malum Star System." Eleven gesticulated wildly. "The stellar collision. It wasn't you."

Five's eyes narrowed as he came around the console toward him. "What ever are you talking about? How could you possibly know-"

"It was Arc. Arc, the Sontaran from _this_ universe." Eleven insisted, gripping onto Five's arm, trying to get him to understand. "He was attempting the same type of stunt the Arc from _my_ universe was attempting, figuring he could escape somehow through a black hole. He caused the neutron star collision. It wasn't you."

"Well that's good news." Sienna said softly, giving her Doctor the full benefit of her dimples.

The Fifth Doctor held up a hand. "Alright, just hold on a moment. Two questions. One: How could you possibly know this? Two: How is this at all relevant to what's happening right now? Because, I have to be honest, I hadn't really thought much about my role in the destruction of Malum since this mess with the timeline began."

Eleven had finally caught his breath. He was smiling and animated, rubbing his hands together "To your first question, I did a bit of investigating on a hunch that was nagging at me. Last night after you and Sienna left my TARDIS, Dayle and I popped over to the planet Vogn, only forward in time to 2017 to that bizarre spectacle of a visitor's center you'd mentioned. We watched the film and then took a tour of the artifact museum."

Five stood listening intently, his arms crossed. He was surprised and a bit impressed with his counterpart's follow through.

"Much of what they have there is the type of historical artifact you'd expect to see in such a museum. Remembrances of the different cultures. Utensils, jewelry, clothing. This particular exhibit also had some miscellaneous structural materials housed in a section about buildings and transportation. Scraps of metals, woods, plaster and mortar. There happened to be one piece of metal there that caught Dayle's eye. More importantly, it caught her telepathy. A piece of metal from a Tregannon ship." Eleven gave his counterpart a meaningful look.

The Fifth Doctor remembered what he'd learned about Eleven and the Dayles' encounter with the rogue Zygon Arc. He'd come into this universe in a stolen Tregannon vessel. He shrugged, still not convinced. "Could be a coincidence."

"Yeah. A bit of a leap there." Sienna broke in, now standing beside Five, caught up in the exchange.

"Well sure. If it was just a bit of _any_ Tregannon ship. But my TARDIS scanned the metal and it was confirmed to be the very ship that Arc had stolen." He raised his eyebrows smugly. "And that's not all."

"Wait." Five said, holding up one finger, humor in his face. "Did you actually _steal_ the artifact from the museum?"

Eleven smirked. " _Steal_ is such a strong word."

Sienna snorted, clearly remembering his earlier reaction to Five's theft at the Shadow Proclamation's Intergalactic Armory. "Alright... so what else?" She prompted.

Eleven cleared his throat and suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. "Perhaps you and I should continue this conversation in private." He said softly to the Fifth Doctor.

Five squinted at his counterpart and then looked over at Sienna who was now frowning. He started to protest but something in Eleven's face told him he'd better comply.

He cleared his throat. "Sienna sweetheart, why don't you go get your coffee going, hmm?" He put his arm around her and kissed her on the side of the face. He could see she was not pleased to be left out of something clearly so important. He touched her face gently. "If it affects you, I will most definitely share it with you. Trust me please."

After a moment she nodded and even managed a small smile. She went off to the corridor toward the kitchen.

Five crossed his arms. "So what's the big secret?" he demanded.

Eleven reached into his pocket and pulled out the Fifth Doctor's anti-time detector. He passed it to him. "You left this in my TARDIS and I took the liberty of scanning that piece of Tregannon metal with it."

Five's eyes narrowed. "Yes...?"

"The metal contained traces of both types of anti-time. The kind from this universe and from my universe." Eleven exclaimed in excitement.

Five rubbed at his face, still not quite to the end of Eleven's thought process but most definitely intrigued. "So... how could that be? The only Anti-Time Sphere from your universe is currently in your TARDIS since you and Dayle made the swap."

"Right..." Eleven hinted. "And we can assume that the Arc from this universe also had on board the same goodies the other Arc did. So he would have had an Anti-Time Sphere from _this_ universe aboard the stolen ship."

Five began to pace. "So you're saying that somehow, both of these Anti-Time spheres were involved in the explosion in the Malum Star System? How can that be? And how does any of this absolve me of the explosion? A cargo ship caught my TARDIS on its radar cam at the time of the explosion."

Eleven crossed his arms and looked at him, no longer smiling. "Yes." he said simply.

Five's eyes went wide.

"And to answer your second question as to how exactly all this is relevant to our current predicament, I'll ask _you_... what was odd about that black hole when you went to visit it with Sienna?" Eleven continued to watch him, to see if he was getting it.

"It was a binary black hole...two black holes merged together." Five whispered, rubbing the side of his face thoughtfully. "And then it wasn't."

"Right." Eleven agreed. "With the timelines fluctuating as decisions were made, you saw two different possible outcomes. Just as there were two possible outcomes existing simultaneously for Sienna." He rubbed his hands together, looking every bit some sort of mad professor. "What's one thing we know about a binary black hole? What do you suppose would happen if say, the anti-time from two different universes managed to penetrate a binary singularity?"

The Fifth Doctor gasped as comprehension dawned. "You're saying..." A smile formed on his face as the revelation sank in. "You're saying this was meant to happen all along. You're saying that I'm meant to..." He literally jumped up and down with excitement. "That's brilliant!"

He would be able to save Sienna! The Eleventh Doctor had just supplied him with the exact solution they needed to not only repair the retrocausality, but to return Sienna safely back to the inception point of the damaged timeline. In that moment, the Fifth Doctor felt nothing but elation.

He saw then the sad smile on Eleven's face who straightened his bow tie and tilted his head, studying his counterpart. "You understand why I felt we should speak in private."

Five's face fell, suddenly grasping the full implications of the solution. "Yes, well." He cleared his throat. "It's obviously not without its drawbacks." He turned away, his hands in his pockets.

Eleven cleared his throat again. At length he said softly, "I am so sorry." When Five didn't respond or even turn to look at him, Eleven simply patted him on the back and headed back to his TARDIS, leaving his counterpart to take it all in.

Five still felt tremendous relief in his hearts. He could ensure that Sienna would be safe after all. Unfortunately, they would still have to say good bye to one another. For good. He felt tangled in knots over this new information.

It wasn't that he was afraid for himself. Not even a little bit. What he was afraid of was how exactly he was going to explain to the woman he loved, who loved him, that in order to save her life, he was meant to die.

* * *

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS_

Sienna and Dayle were eating lunch in the kitchenette. Dayle was telling her stories about Savannah, a subject Sienna found endlessly fascinating. If she wasn't about to kick the bucket, she would love the opportunity to meet Savannah at some point.

After the Doctors' private discussion that morning, they had both been acting distracted. It was clear they had an idea about something but were unable or perhaps simply unwilling to supply any details to either her or Dayle. Just now the two Time Lords were locked away in Five's TARDIS and quite adamant that neither of the women were to enter.

Sienna had long since given up on trying to guess what was happening and instead just tried to enjoy her time with Dayle. She was a lovely woman who had quite a life story. She had been through hell and back and had made something of herself. She seemed like an amazing mother as well. The thought that she wouldn't be able to say good bye to her adoptive family or her biological mom hurt Sienna's heart. That was the very kind of thought she found she needed to avoid.

She supposed that when you were counting your lifespan in hours, mindfulness was the best approach. Her counselors at Kirkmore Rehab had spent a lot of time discussing mindfulness. It was such a buzzword anymore in articles on social media, Sienna had kind of scoffed at it as some hipster bullshit. Suddenly, it seemed the only sane choice. Being fully aware in the present moment.

After a while, Dayle cleared her throat. "So you don't have any idea what they're up to?" She sipped from a bottle of water and studied Sienna carefully.

"Honestly, you probably know more than me. It's something to do with what your Doctor found in that museum. The metal from the Tregannon ship. Something about that black hole." Sienna shrugged.

Dayle raised her eyebrows. "All I know is that the metal was a piece of Arc's ship. Apparently the Zygon in this universe tried the old black hole escape plan as well. I really don't understand why the Doctor was so excited to discover that fact though." She shook her head.

"Yeah, I get the distinct feeling that they're burying the lead." Sienna grumbled.

Dayle chuckled. "Must be a Time Lord thing."

 _Four Hours Later_

The Doctors had both returned from their little secret meeting looking pleased with themselves, if a bit subdued.

She and her Doctor headed back to relax on the comfy green couch in the TV room. The Doctor held her hand and joked around with her. Told her stories that blew her mind. Of monsters and robots and some of the brave humans he'd known. They stayed there, enjoying each others' company for a few hours. Sienna couldn't help but wonder why they weren't returning to his TARDIS. But she noticed that a weight had been lifted off him and it put her at ease. He didn't exactly seem _ecstatic_ but the sadness had left his eyes.

Eventually there was a tap on the door and Eleven stuck his head in. "Anyone for a quick hop?" he inquired.

"Oh look. He _does_ know how to knock." Five commented in a sarcastic but not unfriendly manner. If Sienna was floored by anything, it was by the fact that the two Doctors suddenly almost seemed to respect each other. It was like something had bonded them and they were totally on the same page. She was tempted to check the calendar to see if it was the twelfth of never.

"Where to?" Sienna asked curiously. She was certainly down for a bit of adventure. Could be her last chance after all.

Eleven entered the TV room and addressed Sienna directly. "So. I was thinking you might like to see the Star Cluster of Khaos."

Sienna saw a look of amused affection cross the Fifth Doctor's face. He nodded his approval. "Sounds exactly right." he agreed softly.

Sienna shrugged. "Sure, sounds pretty damn cool. After all, chaos seems to be my thing." She poked her Doctor in the side. "Lord knows I've brought enough of it to your sense of order."

He smiled.

 _Star Cluster of Khaos, Spiral Arm of the Milky Way_

"I have no words." Sienna breathed, gazing out the TARDIS door at the elegant cluster of stars. "Tell me what I'm seeing."

Eleven and Dayle hung back and left the two alone to enjoy the cosmic display. Her Doctor was seated beside her on the edge of the door. Their legs dangled into the darkness of space. They'd sat like this together once before in his TARDIS, the very first time she'd seen space up close.

"The brightest of the stars you see, the blue ones, burn the hottest." he explained. "They are young in stellar terms. Perhaps only a few million years old. The five that burn the brightest are named after the children of Khaos from Greek mythology."

"The children of chaos?" Sienna smiled, intrigued. "I've never heard of that Greek myth. Do tell."

"Well, according to the Greek, Khaos was the first element, the dark void of space from which the first gods came. The children of Khaos." He pointed them out as he named them. "There was Gaia which is the earth (although, that particular star is certainly not the earth you know), Tartarus or the underworld, Nyx is night, Erebus which is darkness and Eros..." He glanced her way and smiled. "Which is love."

She squeezed his hand, loving the poetry of it. And besides, it was the most breathtaking sight she'd ever seen. "What exactly are those glowing, colorful cloud formations all around?"

"That is something called reflection nebulosity. Stellar dust reflecting the light of the stars." He smiled and Sienna realized he seemed to be in awe of the spectacle himself. Like it was his first time seeing it.

After a time, Sienna murmured "So I suppose love really does come from chaos."

He turned to her, touched her hair gently. "I'm beginning to believe all beautiful things do." His blue eyes looked serene to her. His serenity was contagious. She felt truly relaxed for the first time all day.

"So how does chaos relate to science?" she wondered. "To time and space. I've heard of something called Chaos Theory..."

He cleared his throat and explained, "Chaos is actually a mathematical object. It's irregularity is its only constant. It represents all we cannot predict or control. Chaos Theory is the simple principle that in complex systems, the tiniest of variations can cause enormous consequences. And that yet, within that chaos, there is still always some sense of order."

Sienna thought about this. "I suppose that's more appropriate for our situation than I even imagined." She shook her head and started to say more, but was interrupted by Eleven who had suddenly approached them from behind.

"Chaos is the bane of the Time Lords. The great intergalactic control freaks of the universe." he asserted, his arms spanned the doorway and he gripped each side as he stood over them, looking out at the Star Cluster.

Five looked up at him. "I can't say that I disagree. The entirety of Time Lord society is based upon the premise of stringent command over the cosmos."

"Are you saying that Time Lords don't buy into Chaos Theory?" Sienna wondered.

"More that they find it an inconvenience." Eleven scoffed. "Most science deals with order and predictability. Chaos is the science of surprises. And despite our people's policy on strict non-interference in time, they also somehow believe they must have strict control over all of it. They call themselves the custodians of time. As if they somehow are the only beings who know what's best for the universe."

"We." Five said softly.

The Eleventh Doctor looked down, curious. "We?"

"You keep referring to the Time Lords as 'they'." Five murmured, looking straight ahead at the stars. "Don't you mean 'we'?"

Eleven was quiet for a moment. "Yes, well. I think _we_ have both learned a thing or two about chaos. About how some things are entirely out of our control, despite how they seem to cohere to their own sense of order." He grew somber. "I suppose our natural aversion to chaos is why we are so resistant to love." He walked away then, seemingly lost in thought.

Sienna studied her Doctor closely. "Do you think he's right? About love?" she asked.

The Doctor squeezed her hand. "Spot on, I would say." He grinned wistfully. "Love is surrendering to the chaos. Accepting the uncertainty and recognizing that it isn't random, just impossible to predict."


	31. Chapter 31

_Salutaris, Malum Star System_

The Doctors stood alone together outside in Nirais Park, the night quiet. They'd returned to Salutaris after they'd left the Star Cluster of Khaos. They were relatively safe. The two blue boxes were cloaked by technology. The Doctors were cloaked by the dark of night.

Five had worked out that the only way he could make his TARDIS take him to the time and place of the stellar collision was to remain in Malum and perform a time jump. So it made sense to hang around. Especially since he planned to go at morning's light.

The Fifth Doctor needed one final promise from Eleven.

Eleven ran a hand through his hair and looked thoroughly troubled by his last request. Five had known that this wouldn't be an easy sell.

"I think... well, honestly I think it's wrong." the Eleventh Doctor said finally. He held his arms out. "How can I do that to her?" He looked almost heartbroken at the prospect.

Five put his hands in his pockets and sighed. "I can't do this if I'm not certain she will be okay. I can't leave her to break. She was so broken when I met her." He shook his head. "Don't you understand?"

Eleven exhaled and folded his hands behind his head. "I'm not saying I don't know why you want me to do it. I'm just saying it's... it's not my place. It's like taking away her choice in the matter. Taking away something she'd never willingly give up."

The Fifth Doctor scoffed. "Is it better for her to feel guilty? For her to feel abandoned and heartbroken and responsible for my death. You know full well she hasn't developed healthy coping mechanisms."

He saw that his counterpart still looked disapproving. "But who are we to-

Five made a sound of frustration, interrupting him. "Can't you see? I can't just be another mishap in her life that leaves a scar."

At those words, he saw Eleven's eyes widen in surprise, like he'd been slapped. Five didn't need to use his telepathy to know that his counterpart was thinking of Dayle. Of his effect on her life. It was written all over his face. He adjusted his bow tie and pressed his lips together. Some unnameable emotion had replaced the disapproval.

Five put his hands on Eleven's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Promise me." he demanded.

The Eleventh Doctor's eyes met his. After an uncertain silence, he relented. "I...promise."

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, Salutaris, Morning_

Five waited in the console room for Sienna to get up the next morning. Dayle and Eleven were outside, getting some air. They knew that he intended to tell her immediately and wanted to give them room to say goodbye. But their position outside the TARDIS was no accident. When he left, they would be there to keep Sienna from following him.

She emerged from the corridor looking sleepy and slightly grumpy and completely beautiful. Naturally she was barefoot.

"Where'd everybody go?" she grumbled, walking over and leaning into him. He closed his eyes and savored her touch. She tucked her arms beneath his coat to get warm and nuzzled into his chest. The Doctor wanted to cherish every last moment with her. While she was still happy. Before everything changed.

He kissed her on top of her head."They've gone for a walk." he explained.

"So what do we do today?" she wondered. "Shall I go fuck up the past some more?"

He rubbed her back a bit and laughed. "No I don't think that will be necessary."

She became still, silent. Then said, "You have an idea." Not a question.

He cleared his throat, realizing that something had officially ended. He still strove to sound casual, perhaps for his own sake as well as hers. "Yes, well. A solution has presented itself..."

She backed away from him suddenly, now looking quite awake. "Doctor. I may not be clairvoyant but I have developed quite a knack for knowing when you're about to say something I'm not gonna like." She crossed her arms over her chest and studied him anxiously.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor for a moment. His voice was very quiet. "Sienna. I need you to try to stay calm and just listen for a moment. Do you think you can do that?"

She took a deep breath and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. She nodded.

"What's happened... the temporal paradox we've created... it's something called a grandfather paradox. It's when a future event prevents the occurrence of a past event which actually caused the future event in the first place." He looked at her and saw she was keeping up just fine. "Since we are currently out of time, the effects of the paradox have not caught up with us. The fact of your death has not caught up with us either. But that's not a state we can maintain for much longer."

She nodded once more, her face a mask of apprehension.

"There's one way that I know of to resolve the paradox... and ensure your survival at the same time. By reconciling the two outcomes that exist simultaneously. It involves creating a binary black hole and then sending a burst of anti-time past the event horizon straight to the singularity point." He shrugged, trying to keep his face casual. "It's like rewinding the tape. Straight back to the inception point of the paradox. Would completely straighten out cause and effect."

Sienna's voice was hollow and tight when she asked him "How exactly does the anti-time enter the black hole?"

He walked over to her then and put his arms around her knowing full well he was about to blow a hole in her universe. "An exploding TARDIS should do the trick." he told her softly.

Sienna's face registered comprehension and the look of horror that came after that actually made him physically ill. He had to hold on to her to keep her from falling over. She looked stricken but seemed unable to form words. He held her close to him and spoke quickly. Like his words were a dam that could hold back the heartbreak now rushing toward her.

"Listen. I need you to remember something. Never forget it, no matter what else happens. I love everything about you. Your kindness, your beauty, your stubbornness, your preternatural wisdom. I love your flaws and your pain and the fact that you are somehow always barefoot." He peered into her face, smiling sadly, willing her to stay strong, to be okay. "Don't you get it? This was always meant to happen."

She finally found her voice. And it was furious. "You can't do this to me. I won't let you." Her fingertips dug into his arms painfully, part of her clearly wanting him to hurt as she did. But he still refused to let go. Her eyes blazed and she shook her head. "Eleven told me that there was more than one way to fix a fucking paradox. You've only chosen _this_ way because you want to change what happened to _me_."

He looked into her eyes wordlessly, but he didn't deny it.

"This is fucking ridiculous. How dare you? How dare you make me the reason the Doctor's life ends. The universe's hero. The great Time Lord." She laughed humorlessly. "Over some junkie skank. Fucking ridiculous." She shoved him away from her then, hard. Tears poured from her eyes and she paced the length of the control room, muttering to herself, looking for all the world like she was having a mental break.

The Doctor sighed, determined not to allow her emotions to sway him, to change his course. "This isn't about the great Time Lord. It's not about me at all. Sienna, can't you see? This isn't my story. It never was."

His words caused her to turn and pay attention. She looked mystified.

He continued firmly. "I was meant to come here and stop your death from happening. You had it right the day we met. My role in your life, in your story was always to be your guardian angel." Tears finally came to his eyes with those words. The title she flung at him angrily in the hallway of Dayle's apartment building. The name she'd teased him with. What she'd called him right before they'd made love for the first time. He cleared his throat, holding on to his composure but only just. "The Reverend Mother told me that the explosion at Malum is a fixed point. I was always meant to save you, to keep your story going. I was never meant to have a happy ending."

"But... it's not fair." she insisted.

The Doctor scratched his forehead and gestured helplessly, at last overwhelmed by his feelings. He couldn't agree more. He looked down to hide his tears.

Sienna walked to him and grabbed him in a hug, to comfort him, to comfort herself. He held her close and she sobbed against his chest for a few moments.

After a time, she looked up at him, her brown eyes now hopeless. "This isn't right. In the scheme of things, I am _nothing._ Not worth the universe losing you. All you do to help people." She made a sound of disgust. "You've done so much good and known so much pain. And this is the thanks you get?" She squinted at him incredulously. "This is your reward? To sacrifice yourself yet again? _Please don't do this._ Do anything but this."

He looked into her face, feeling distraught and prepared to argue. To tell her that he had to. That he was sorry. And then he saw through her pain, to the love that was in her eyes, etched into her every feature. He felt it, coming off her in waves. And it struck him that he had found the order within their chaos. The reason. The poetic justice. And his inner turmoil vanished, just like that. And he smiled.

"You're wrong Sienna." He told her confidently. "My reward was meeting you. My reward is love." He played with a strand of her lovely brown hair. "I've spent my lives running, never standing still because the universe is just too big. There were too many adventures I might miss. Too many beautiful places to behold." He shook his head, realizing he'd found what he never even knew he was looking for. "But this." He gestured between the two of them. "There _is_ nothing bigger than this. No greater adventure. Nothing more beautiful."

Her expression had changed as he spoke. There were still tears but now there was just a hint of a smile as well. Like she was marveling at him, at his love for her.

"Do you really think I consider this a sacrifice?" he whispered. "To know you'll be safe? To know that my actions will keep you out of harm's way?"

He kissed her gently, then looked into her eyes one last time, feeling more certain than he had in all his lives. "This is no sacrifice. Not a chance. Why, this is my exaltation."

"Doctor..." she sighed.

His fingertips caressed her face, one final touch.

"Brave heart Sienna." he told her firmly, then abruptly broke their embrace and left the control room, walked right out the door toward his own TARDIS.

* * *

Sienna stood dumbly for a second before it dawned on her that he was actually leaving. Right then and there.

"Wait." she called weakly before running out the door after him. When she exited the TARDIS, she was stopped by Eleven who was standing right outside. He held onto her tightly as she strained to escape his grasp. "No, please..." she pleaded.

The Fifth Doctor never looked back. He simply entered his TARDIS, headed for the console, and initiated the dematerialization sequence.

The Eleventh Doctor hugged Sienna from behind as she struggled and yelled. As the TARDIS began to dematerialize, she finally stopped struggling and just sobbed, leaning back against Eleven. He spoke to her gently, tried his best to comfort her. Dayle stood to the side, unable to even help. Obviously Eleven had clued her in on the plan and Sienna's anguish was apparently more than she could bear. She was crying silently, her hands over her face.

Sienna felt something break inside of her as the TARDIS vanished completely. As her Doctor left her for the last time. His sacrifice. _His exaltation._ Suddenly she was beyond crying. She was practically numb.

"Sienna." Eleven said softly after a few moments. "Come back into the TARDIS. We should probably head to the vortex while things are righted."

She allowed herself to be led back into the impossible control room, aboard the impossible time machine by the impossible alien. He helped her to a chair where she sat silent.

Dayle had finally regained her composure and sat down beside her. As the Doctor started the TARDIS engines she took Sienna's hand, cleared her throat and started to speak.

Sienna stopped her, her voice barely above a whisper. "No. I am not fucking okay so don't even ask." She gave a hollow laugh.

"But you _have_ to be strong." Dayle insisted. Sienna noticed that she kept glancing at her Doctor, who was watching them from the console. "Sienna, I know this may sound so stupid for me to say right now, but isn't it better to have known him than to never have known him?"

Dayle's words were a jumble to her. Nonsensical. And quite frankly irrelevant. Sienna couldn't be strong right now. She truly wasn't equipped to handle this. Part of her hoped like hell to maintain this surreal sense of unfeeling. Another part of her actually wanted to feel the pain, wanted to suffer. And that same self destructive part of her wanted to use. Badly. To tear everything down and to blow it all to hell. Because fuck it.

And that was when she actually felt afraid. When she discovered that what she was headed for might be worse than death.

Dayle finally seemed to realize her words were of no use and so she sat silently, squeezing Sienna's hand, her presence all she could offer in the way of solidarity.

Eleven suddenly called to her softly, "Dayle." She looked his way but seemed hesitant to leave Sienna's side.

When she didn't respond after a long pause, he raised his voice. " _Dayle_." She went to him, making an exasperated sound as she went. Sienna was vaguely aware that they seemed to be arguing though she honestly didn't care why that was.

"You can't use your superior Time Lord brain to come up with another way to help her? _Nothing_ at all?" Dayle was whispering fiercely.

The Doctor sighed, sounding resigned. "I promised." he said simply.

Sienna wasn't interested in the drama playing out around her. She was much too busy wondering where she would go. How she would ever get through this and keep herself straight.

The Doctor must have been standing over her for some time before it actually registered. Sienna looked up, a bit startled. She looked around and realized Dayle was no longer in the room. Everything seemed to be happening at a dream's pace. Of all the absurdity she had experienced over the last week of her life, this morning took the cake.

"Sienna. I need to speak to you." Eleven said gently, stating the obvious.

She was surprised at how normal she sounded when she replied, "About what?"

He pulled her to her feet and stood in front of her, not meeting her eyes. He was nervous about something. Looked almost regretful.

"For fuck's sake. What now?" she groaned. "What other horrible news can you possibly have for me?"

He cleared his throat. "What did he tell you to remember?" he asked after a moment.

His words were so far from what she'd been expecting, they caught her completely off guard. "Wait... wh-what?" she stammered, perplexed.

His smile was sad but he gestured enthusiastically as always. "Before he left. Your Doctor told you that you must remember something. What was it?"

"Um... he said..." She shook her head to clear the fogginess she'd allowed to settle in her mind. "He said he loves everything about me." As she said the words out loud, she was surprised to feel warmth in her tortured heart. To still feel anything good at all.

Eleven looked at her kindly and said. "Close your eyes. And remember."

She closed her eyes. His voice was suddenly right there in her mind. His exact words seemed to have been transcribed onto her heart.

 _I need you to remember something. Never forget it no matter what else happens. I love everything about you. Your kindness, your beauty, your stubbornness, your preternatural wisdom. I love your flaws and your pain and the fact that you are somehow always barefoot._

The slightest of smiles played at the corners of her mouth, her eyes still closed. Somehow he didn't take all his love with him. It remained, comforting her.

She felt the Eleventh Doctor place his fingertips at her temples and heard him whisper, "I really think this is for the best."

As she slowly drifted into unconsciousness, she was vaguely aware that someone caught her before she could hit the floor.

Her mind fought feebly to regain alertness. But it was like a light dimming, her awareness slowly fading.

Disembodied voices floated to her before the lights went completely out.

"If all goes well, none of this will have ever happened for her. She'll be returned to her original timeline."

"I'm not sure she'd thank you for that."

"No. But he would."

* * *

 ** _:( Was Eleven right to wipe Sienna's memory? I'm not exactly sure myself. One chapter left folks. -Ruinous79_**


	32. Chapter 32

**_"He did what heroes do after their work is accomplished; he died." -Leo Tolstoy_**

* * *

 _Fifth Doctor's TARDIS_

He walked straight into his TARDIS and dared not look back. He could hear _her_ , calling his name, pleading with him to stop and yelling and cursing at Eleven for restraining her. He felt his stomach drop at the sound of her despair. But still he did not turn around.

The Doctor was not afraid to die. Was not terribly troubled at the prospect of throwing himself into the middle of some epic explosion. But somehow, he found he couldn't bear to _see_ Sienna's heart being broken.

He immediately closed the doors and set the coordinates for a time jump to March 13, 2012. The TARDIS dematerialized normally but began to shudder and resist when the rematerialization sequence began.

"Come on now." he encouraged his ship. "Now's not the time to get skittish. One last trip Old Girl."

The engines stuttered repeatedly before the familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing filled the control room.

He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled up the scanner. If he had timed this right, the Zygon Arc would have just caused a neutron star collision. That meant that all lifeforms in the Malum System should already be dead, the atmosphere on Salutaris and the other planets now completely unfavorable for any living being.

The scanner showed him absolutely nothing different than what he'd seen here over thirty years before, yet just a few moments ago. Nirais Park looked unchanged, down to a bench directly across the path from where his TARDIS stood.

He narrowed his eyes. Was he too early? He punched some keys on the computer and the TARDIS began an atmospheric assessment. It didn't take long for the radiation alarm began to sound. He nodded grimly. The planet, the entire solar system, was effectively dead.

He left Salutaris behind and navigated his ship to the sector of the star system where the black hole had been located. The Doctor was relieved to find it was just where it should be.

He exhaled nervously. He only had one shot at this and a lot had to take place all within the same explosion. He allowed the TARDIS to drift safely just outside the event horizon as he readied his equipment. He and Eleven had modified the timeline analyzer to act as a conductor for the singularity reaction he intended to trigger. He switched it on and immediately felt an eerie force present in the control room. The life and death of Sienna Woods existing simultaneously. The timeline fluctuating between order and disorder. He could feel it. He closed his eyes. He hoped to hell he didn't screw this up.

He checked all his instruments one more time, but then all he could do was stand by. Because there was one more guest invited to this party. On board were both the stellar manipulator he needed and the Anti-Time Sphere from Eleven's universe. When his TARDIS was destroyed, the anti-time would be released. But there was one more ingredient needed for this recipe. The singularity reaction also required the detonation of the Anti-Time Sphere on board Arc's ship. It wasn't long before the small Tregannon craft appeared on his scanner.

The Doctor chuckled mirthlessly. The Arc from this universe had destroyed an entire star system without any solid understanding of how to even use the black hole to achieve his ends. The Doctor couldn't help but wonder if the rogue Zygon actually thought he could just fly right in to the black hole without being completely annihilated. The Arc in the other universe had at least prepared a successful plan, had a working understanding of Time Lord science in relation to black holes. There was no telling what this ignorant lifeform hoped to accomplish but, regardless, Arc was in for quite a rude awakening.

There would be no escape for the creature who had just casually committed genocide. Genocide that the Doctor would be blamed for posthumously. He set his jaw.

He got a lock on the Tregannon vessel's heading and rapidly entered coordinates. He threw the lever and was gratified when the TARDIS materialized right around Arc's ship. Accuracy, after all wasn't always his strong suit. The Doctor was pleased to note that the craft fit quite neatly inside his control room. He crossed his arms and leaned against the console, awaiting his guest.

Arc exited the craft looking more confused than any creature the Doctor had seen. The Doctor smirked, pleased he could be of service.

"Greetings." he offered pleasantly.

"What is the meaning of this? This is impossible!" the Zygon hissed, his eyes wide, taking in the expanse of the control room. "Where am I?"

"You are on board my TARDIS. Oh, you're still in the same quadrant of space. In the very same solar system you just carelessly destroyed." The Doctor's nostrils flared, his blue eyes cold as ice. "I thought I might give you a lift through the black hole. After all, a TARDIS is the only way to go." He smiled tightly, studying the creature.

"Time Lord?" Arc growled, clearly panicking, understanding he was trapped.

"Call me the Doctor." he suggested congenially, consulting the scanner.

"Doctor..." the Zygon hissed in recognition, his eyes narrowing. "I demand you release me before I cause you great bodily harm." Arc produced an impressive blade from a sheath at his waist and advanced on him.

The Doctor laughed as he knelt and picked up the stellar manipulator. "You know, I was afraid this device might be a bit complicated to figure out. But since you were able to operate one, they're clearly idiot proof." He pressed the button on the top and it whirred to life.

The Zygon's eyes got even wider. He froze. "What are you doing with that?"

"Well you see Arc," the Doctor continued casually, squinting at the small screen as he programmed the device. "I've come here today to take advantage of this lovely black hole you've created. Before the singularity becomes fixed, I intend to merge it with another." He waved a hand dismissively. "It's just some complicated Time Lord science really. I'm sure you'd find it all very boring." He grinned and rested one hand on the console's instrument panel.

Arc was at a loss for what to do. "Please." he whispered, dropping his large knife to the floor where it clattered loudly. He held his hands up in surrender. "There's no cause for hostility between us. I have no fight with the Time Lords. All I wish to do is leave this universe." The Doctor reckoned the Zygon must be experiencing the five stages of grief because he'd just gone through denial and anger and here he was at bargaining.

The Doctor chuckled. "Interesting. You murder an entire star system of peaceful and innocent beings and yet you grieve for yourself." He shook his head and reached behind him to tap a few buttons on the console, his eyes never leaving the evil creature. The TARDIS began spinning slowly through the stellar dust toward the event horizon, all of its defenses completely disabled. The cloister bell bonged hopelessly.

"You must have a death wish." Arc sputtered, sounding desperate. "If you create another black hole right here, don't you realize you will die as well?" The creature's fear was nearly as palpable as the Doctor's calm.

"Indeed." The Doctor assured him. "This is the end of my story and I don't expect a happy ending."

The Doctor peeked at the scanner and saw they were very nearly at the point of no return. He entered one more command on the stellar manipulator while Arc eyed him nervously. He had commanded the course of two neutron stars with the push of a button. His eyes narrowed at how easy it had been to create such destruction. Fearsome power, particularly in the wrong hands.

"You are prepared to die?" Arc asked incredulously. "Who then will be the champion of this universe? There are many beings, monsters even, who will rejoice at your demise." The Zygon studied him, clearly hoping his words would have some affect.

The Doctor met the Zygon's eyes once more. "Not to worry. I have it on good authority that a certain fellow I know from across the street will pop over from time to time. He has quite a way with the monsters as well." The Doctor crossed his arms and leveled a piercing look at Arc. "But you see, _you_ are the monster at the end of my story. And at least I get to go out playing the role I'm best at." He gave Arc a cold smile, his blue eyes like chips of ice. "The man that stops the monsters."

Arc stood frozen for only a moment before he suddenly pivoted and broke for his ship. He dove inside and came back up with a Tregannon impulse laser gun.

He pointed it at the Doctor and roared. "Take us out of here _now._ "

The Doctor rolled his eyes and watched the scanner as the neutron stars drifted closer and closer. It didn't exactly matter if Arc killed him at this point. Everything was already set in motion and Arc's death was just as inevitable as his own. The Doctor only hoped he'd timed it right.

As the TARDIS reached the event horizon, it started being pulled inward violently. The resulting shudder knocked Arc off his feet. His head hit the frame of the Tregannon ship rather hard and he lost consciousness as well as his grip on the gun. The Doctor managed to grab the console firmly and the stellar manipulator clattered noisily to the floor. It had already served its purpose.

An alarm on the console began to sound, telling him a collision was imminent. He sighed in relief. He had done it.

The Doctor sat in one of the jump seats and took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly, calming himself. He was glad not to have to deal with Arc anymore.

"No need to end things on an unpleasant note." he exclaimed over the sound of the cloister bell, the collision alarm, and the TARDIS shuddering violently.

He closed his eyes and his mind went back to that fateful parking lot in Kirkmore. After he'd saved Sienna from the brutal attack by her ex boyfriend, his knuckles had been bruised and bloodied.

 _She took his hand, held it up, and touched the injuries gently. She closed her eyes and felt that current course through her. She breathed in the pain and exhaled it away. And the Doctor's hand was as good as new._

 _When she opened her eyes, she saw he was looking at her with a mixture of awe and something else she couldn't quite place. She smiled at him, and kissed his hand where the injury had been._

He saw her brown eyes, full of gratitude and wonder.

" _Thank you Guardian Angel."_

And the Doctor smiled.

* * *

 _Kirkmore, OH October 23, 2017 7:53 pm_

Sienna Woods had finished pumping gas into her Chevy Cruze and had headed inside to pay and to buy a pack of smokes.

Her mind was preoccupied. Since her dad picked her up at rehab earlier today, he'd been acting like a total dick, like he had zero faith in her whatsoever. Her mom had been acting as if everything were perfectly normal, making plans for upcoming social engagements. So, pretty much, just a typical day in the Woods' household. She felt so determined to keep herself together, she was already starting to wonder if it might be better to find someplace else to stay. Some place where the dysfunction wasn't so familiar and so associated with her failure and their disappointment.

So she was pretty distracted when she walked out of the station lighting a cigarette and all but ran right into her ex boyfriend Chris Bantree.

"Hey beautiful. Long time no see." he was grinning in his charming way and looking her over from head to toe. Sienna's heart was in her throat.

 _Fuck._ She had not prepared herself for this encounter. She should have been paying more attention, been keeping an eye out for people like him. People that would happily destroy her chances at sobriety. She should have went someplace else. Chris always came to this Marathon station on Duncan.

"Chris." she acknowledged politely as she tried to walk around him back to her car. Her blood was boiling at his nerve. She jumped when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. Don't be like that. You're not the only one who's turned over a new leaf you know." His voice deceptively kind. She sighed and turned back to him. His expression was one of feigned innocence. And also... strangely familiar.

Sienna blinked. She had this eerie feeling in the very back of her mind. Like this had all happened once before. She shook her head.

"Chris, after the way you treated me, you don't deserve to breathe my air. From now on, I'm only moving forward in my life. I'm sure as shit not backsliding for _your_ bullshit." She narrowed her eyes and started to back away from him. "No fuckin way."

She turned her back on him, feeling proud of how she'd conducted herself. Her happiness was short lived when he breezed on past her, headed straight for her car. Where he leaned, waiting.

She sighed in frustration as she reached him, taking in his angry, stubborn face.

"Chris, take a hint bro. There comes a point when persistence just becomes a bit pathetic." She crossed her arms and faced him, ready for the name calling to commence. He never had handled rejection well. But Sienna felt surprisingly strong. Somehow she knew she'd never fall for his shit again.

"You stuck up _cunt_." he sputtered. Sienna raised her eyebrows. Clearly his new leaf had not improved his manners. "You think you're fucking better than me because you been to rehab? Bitch please. You'll be lucky to..."

He had trailed off abruptly and was staring across Duncan street at something, his face incredulous.

Sienna's curiosity got the better of her and she followed his gaze to the empty parking lot where Chris had apparently parked his green Taurus. In the dimness of the street lights, Sienna saw a tall blue box, kind of like a porta potty standing right next to where he was parked. An odd looking man was leaning against the box, conspicuously watching them.

"What the _fuck_?" Chris whispered. He took two steps away from Sienna toward the road. "That box was _not_ there when I parked my car. And who the hell _is_ that motherfucker?"

Sienna squinted across the road, trying to make out more details. She'd never seen the man before in her life so she was a bit freaked out when she was overtaken once more by that sense of deja vu. Goosebumps broke out along her arms as she watched Chris cross the street to confront the stranger.

She knew she should probably leave now that Chris was out of her way. That she should just get in her car and drive off. But the creeping sense that this had all happened before plagued her. She was drawn across the street. Like she never had a choice.

She was quiet as she approached the dimly lit parking lot. As she sneaked up on them, she could hear Chris shouting profanities at the pleasant looking young man with the bow tie. "What the fuck do you think _you're_ doing? Do you know my girl? Is that why you're spying on us like some fuckin creeper?"

The stranger was looking at Chris with a combination of amusement and disgust as Chris verbally assaulted him.

Sienna kept the car between herself and the altercation. One never knew when Chris's tirades would turn physically violent. She was stunned when the stranger finally replied in a calm voice with what sounded like a British accent.

"I believe it's long past time you headed home." The man stepped away from the box and advanced on Chris slowly, looking not even half intimidated. Sienna's eyes widened. _Holy shit._

Chris was clearly not expecting this reaction. He actually took a step back. "Is that supposed to be funny or something?" he demanded, sounding uncertain now, despite his bluster.

The man advanced on Chris until he had him pinned against the Taurus. "You're name is Chris, am I correct?" the British guy inquired coldly.

Chris could only blink. "Yeah so?"

"Right, so you need to be heading off now to begin work on your new mission in life." The man's eyes were practically black and he was purposely putting himself all up in Chris's personal space. "Staying the hell away from Sienna Woods."

Sienna felt her stomach drop. _What the hell...?_

Chris seemed to have finally gotten over any shock he'd experienced and shoved the stranger back with all his might. "So you're fuckin her, is that it? You _must_ be new in town. Because everyone in Kirkmore knows that pussy belongs to me."

With all that was happening what with the curious blue box and the strange British dude who seemed to be threatening Chris if he didn't stay away from her, she was going through a range of emotions. Confusion, shock, anxiety, amusement.

But that last thing Chris said. Regarding his ownership of a particular part of her body. Now she was just good and fucking mad.

She noticed that the stranger seemed unfazed by Chris pushing him and had resumed his position of standing just a bit inside Chris's personal space. Honestly, the British guy looked ready to punch Chris in the face.

Sienna knew the feeling. She stomped around to the other side of the Taurus and stood facing the two men who both looked surprised to find her standing there.

" _Excuse_ me." She growled at Chris, hands on her hips. "I know you can't be fucking serious right now."

Chris looked a bit surprised to see she'd overheard the exchange but he quickly managed to recover his own sense of self importance. "So are you or are you not bangin this asshole?" he demanded.

"I've never even _seen_ him before you dickhead." she shrieked. "Who the hell are _you_ to question me anyway? I am most definitely _not_ your girl and there isn't a single molecule on my body that belongs to you." Chris looked furious at her words. Sienna noticed the British man was smiling at her, looking almost astonished by her outburst and oddly proud.

"That is exactly what I was hoping you'd say." The stranger exclaimed. He now seemed to decide that Chris simply didn't exist. He turned his back on the angry young man and placed an arm around Sienna's shoulders, walking her away from the Taurus a bit.

Sienna looked over at the odd dude, her eyes narrowed. She didn't feel the least bit threatened by him but she was definitely unnerved that he seemed to know her so well. She started to question him.

Suddenly she felt Chris approach from behind and spin her around roughly by the arm, pulling her in toward him.

"You aren't leaving with him you goddamn bitch, so get that out of your head." Chris gripped her arm even tighter.

"Ouch! You're hurting me." she shouted, trying to pull her arm from his grasp.

"Yeah and it'll get a lot worse if you don't stop being such a dumb cunt. I'm not gonna just-"

Chris's tirade was abruptly cut off when the British dude punched him right in the face. Knocked him out cold.

Chris hit the ground hard and the stranger hopped around a bit, holding his injured hand like a little kid. "I'd apologize but there are some words you just don't _say_ to a lady. OUCH!"

Sienna stared at him in amazement. "Dude. Who the hell _are_ you?"

The man stopped the hopping but still had that look about him of a little boy with a boo boo. "I know you probably don't remember, but we have met before. I am the Doctor."

He leaned over Chris's prone body and seemed to place his fingertips against the unconscious man's temples. "There." he muttered to himself before dusting off his hands and standing up straight once more.

Sienna's eyes narrowed. "The Doctor? I'm quite sure I would remember..." Her words trailed off as the feeling of de javu hit her stronger than ever. She put her hand to her head, feeling slightly dizzy.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked, his kind eyes studying her.

Sienna shook her head. "I... don't know." She looked at him, taking in the details of his face. Trying to figure out how someone she couldn't recall ever meeting was someone she felt she knew quite well. And even trusted.

"Well." he clapped his hands together excitedly. "I have it on good authority that this young man won't be bothering you anymore. And what's more, there is a lovely woman named Dayle Moss who would love to meet you. And I'd be more than happy to take you to see her if you're free for the rest of the evening."

He could have knocked her over with a feather. Dayle Moss? How did he know about Dayle Moss? Her biological mother...

"Hold up... you know her...?" Sienna stammered, her eyes looking like she'd just seen a ghost. "But... how?"

The Doctor gently took Sienna's hand in his and led her toward the blue box that was marked "Police Public Call Box".

When they reached the doors, she pulled her hand away, finally losing patience with this strange guy. The Doctor.

"Okay... time out. Why are you here? Why were you watching us to begin with?" She crossed her arms, fixing him with a stern look.

The Doctor sighed heavily and looked her directly in the eye. "I was watching out for you, okay? To make sure you were safe tonight."

Sienna raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell died and made _you_ my guardian angel?" she demanded. Her own words sent an inexplicable icy blast down her spine and she shivered.

The Doctor blinked at her in response before straightening his bow tie and shrugging. "Not sure how best to answer that. But I do have a duty of care. And you were about to make a bad decision when you ran into Chris tonight. I intended to keep that from happening."

"Wait... you mean you think I was about to go anywhere with that douchebag?" She laughed. "That was not going to happen. And he knew it too." She looked down at Chris's still form and shook her head. "Even he knows I deserve better than that."

Some unidentifiable emotion seemed to cross the Doctor's face as he watched her. Then he smiled at her knowingly. "Yes, it would seem I was worried for nothing. It seems you're strong enough on your own."

He snapped his fingers then and the doors to the blue box squeaked open. Sienna gasped.

"So. About that trip to Dayle's place... are you in?" The Doctor leaned against the doorway of the blue box and grinned at her.

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 _Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS_

Dayle was pacing the length of the control room, irritated and confused. They had just returned to their own universe after dropping Sienna off to spend time with Dayle B, Jesse and Gabe.

It had been quite a lot for Sienna to take in. The bigger on the inside TARDIS. Two Dayles. A step dad and a baby brother. But she had taken it in stride and even looked content, deep in conversation with Dayle B when the Doctor and Dayle A had taken off. It seemed as good a place as any to leave her to get on with her life. They promised they would return soon to check on things.

The Doctor leaned against the console and chuckled. "I see you're still not quite over the fact that Sienna had intended to make the correct decision _without_ my intervention."

She stopped pacing and walked over to him, gesturing in exasperation. "It doesn't make sense. You said everything would be the same as what was supposed to happen in the original timeline. That was why you insisted on being on hand to change her mind. If nothing is different, well, Sienna should have gone with Chris and used tonight, right?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" the Doctor squinted at her in surprise, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I didn't have to change her mind. _He_ changed her mind."

"He?" Dayle asked. "You mean _Chris?"._ She looked at him like he was crazy.

"The Doctor. Sienna's Doctor." Eleven said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He raised his eyebrows and turned his attention back to the console. They had their own little adventure they intended to take together before he returned her to her life and he wanted to check through his database for an idea of where to take her. He glanced back after a moment of silence to find Dayle was now staring at him like he'd grown a third head.

"How would that be even remotely possible? She doesn't remember him." She narrowed her eyes. "You _did_ wipe him completely from her memory, didn't you?"

He scoffed. "Seriously? Do you think I'm so heartless that I would eradicate _everything_? Please." He continued looking through his computer for ideas on destinations as if the subject were closed.

"What do you _mean?"_ Dayle insisted.

He spoke without looking up. "Well you see, I wiped all of her memories pertaining to him _except_ what he wanted her to remember." He glanced up once to gauge her reaction to this before returning his attention to the controls. "That he loved everything about her. That even her faults and her quirks are worthy of love. No, she may never remember the way he looked. And she can't recall conversations or private moments they shared. _But_ she will never forget the way his love made her feel." He finally turned back to Dayle, his grin slightly smug.

"So... his love is just...still with her? And somehow it...it bolsters her." Dayle whispered, her blue eyes staring off into space in wonder.

The Doctor nodded. "That's extraordinary, isn't it?"

She looked at him, puzzled. "So explain how you justify leaving that part in tact." Dayle looked up at him, squinting. "Why?"

The Doctor scratched his head. He shrugged. "It belonged to her. It wasn't my right to take-"

"One could argue that it wasn't really your right to take _any_ of her memories." Dayle pointed out harshly.

"Look. I was keeping a promise I made." the Doctor insisted, his voice rising slightly. "And in the end, those memories would have only served to hurt her." He avoided her eyes, because he would never be 100% certain that he'd done the right thing.

Dayle was studying him, her lips pressed together. After a moment she asked. "If you really believed that, then why keep anything of him at all? Why didn't you just wipe it out altogether? It would have been the scientific way to handle things."

He threw his hands up in the air after a moment and exclaimed. "Because as I once told him, even if it seems easier, it's far worse to walk away without letting someone know how deeply they've affected you. And Sienna deserves to know that, even if only subconsciously."

Dayle was quiet for a moment. "Did you think it would even matter?"

He gave her a half smile and walked toward her. "Of course I knew it would matter. A person with love in their heart is always stronger for it. When all else ends and goes away, love still hangs about somehow, a force to be reckoned with. It doesn't die with you. And that is a bit of a miracle in itself, is it not?"

The anger left Dayle's eyes and she nodded earnestly.

He thought of Five and smiled in admiration. He thought of his selfless bravery and the fact that as color blind as he'd been, he'd finally seen the color blue. "You know I'm a sucker for miracles, don't you?" he asked Dayle softly as he put his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

 _ **The End**_

* * *

 ** _Be on the lookout for the final part of this story, Made of Stars. First five chapters should be up this next week. -Ruinous79_**


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